Your Move
by xxxpurplesky
Summary: Two months after the incidents in Wonderland, Hatter and Alice are still in the beginning stages of dating. But when Hatter gets kidnapped and Alice is targeted, not only is their relationship in jeopardy, but so is the rest of Wonderland. SYFY's Alice.
1. Cramped

_Your Move  
_**Syfy's Alice  
**Pairing: Alice Hamilton/ David Hatter  
Rating: T+--M for violent themes/suggestive humor/drug content/ and sexual themes.

**Summary**: Two months after the incidents in Wonderland, Hatter and Alice are still in the beginning stages of dating. However, when Hatter gets kidnapped and Alice is targeted by the _Flores de laMorte_ assassins, not only is their relationship in jeopardy, but so is the rest of Wonderland.  
**  
Description**: My rushed attempt to get an Alice/Hatter fiction out to the public. Usually my FF's take months to write; mainly because I'm so meticulous about details and plot, but for this, I'm simply winging it. I want to get as much off my chest as the idea is still buzzing in my head. So, I apologize if it takes me a long time to update, or if I have to go back and edit simple details.

**AN**. Okay, so this is my first ever published story and I'm quite excited to get it up. I'm also excited to talk to fellow Alice/Hatter obsessors. What should there name be. Well, not Atter. Maybe, OMG Halice! I like that! XD Anyway, please review; it'll help me update. I've pushed everything I've currently spent months planning and writing aside, and I'm now focusing on this.

Good news? Bad News? Good news is that I'm posting it immediately, not waiting to write the entire story before posting. I'm just too anxious to share my ideas while Alice is still hot and fresh. Bad news and it's a big one: people now have to wait a while for updates. School always gets in the way as does my muse. If I am allowed to quote Bioshock! (My muse is fickle bitch with a very short attention span.) Plus, I need to work out ideas and kinks and hope it works out for the best. But anyhow, that's if anyone even is interested in my story, which I can only deduce through reviews! But enough of my squabbling; Chapter one is more of a prologue, it's suppose to catch your interest and takes place in the middle of the story.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to Alice in Wonderland or Syfy's Alice. If I did, Alice wouldn't be a "mini-television" series but a full fledge weekly series.

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I.  
_**Cramped  
**__(in chess) refers to a position with limited mobility._

She sat adorningly in the kingdom that now belonged to her. Renovations were finally underway, and now the once lively and energetic casino was transforming into a kingdom fit for a righteous woman to rule. Right before her eyes, the walls were stripped of their red heart-filled colors, and instead a bland yet simple coat of white covered the plaster. To her side, her newly recruited minions were being fitted into something a little more tasteful than card costumes. To think that this kingdom actually stayed standing for one-hundred years seemed folly. Such naïve plans and goals were the exact downfall of her simple-minded auntie. Even the foundation that the society had been based upon was flawed in more aspects than one. This place needed a make over, badly. It needed new objections, new authority…a new queen.

Wonderland needed her—the White Queen.

"M'lady?"

Her blue eyes glanced over at the ex-club bowing in front of her. She regarded him with a bored stare before parting her cherry-red lips to address him, her tone short and slightly annoyed.

"You better have what I asked of you, Nine."

He raised his eyes to meet hers and nodded with fervor, standing up without the card suit on, now clothed in a sleek, black tuxedo. He quickly walked over to the doors before placing his hands on the knob, turning his head back for the Queen's signal. She sighed softly before standing up, stepping away from her icy throne and down the center of the room. Meeting Nine's gaze, she nodded softly watching as he opened the door and gestured three men to enter. The men, who looked quite out of place in their crimson hooded cloaks, walked in dragging a wounded woman in their arms. They dropped her onto the floor where she laid, a crumpled mess.

The pale queen walked forward, her heels clicking off the polished white marbled titles. She stood, hovering over the fallen form, smirking and clicking her tongue softly against her teeth. When the girl didn't respond, the queen sighed in annoyance and rolled her eyes, kicking the nonmoving form softly with the toe of her shoe.

"Wake up, Alice. Dream time is over."

The black-haired women groaned softly, placing a hand on her bleeding forehead as she stirred back to consciousness. The queen above her waited patiently, smoothing out the wrinkles that formed on her beautiful, long white dress. After a few minutes, Alice finally woke from her daze and sat up, taking in her surroundings. She looked at the queen, anger blazing in her eyes. The queen smiled and snapped her fingers, sitting down as one of the many servants standing in the room placed a white chair behind her. She crossed her legs and hit Alice lightly in the shoulder with the toe of her shoe, infuriating the black belt even more.

"You've caused me quite some trouble, Miss. Alice."

"Not enough…," the girl bit back, making the blonde smile with humor.

"Listen, _girl. _I'm no idiot. I'm not like my absurd aunt who tries to always win in every situation, who only cares about herself and no one else. So, please do tell the court. What is it that you want?"

Alice held her breath, looking up with hope in her eyes. This was all too familiar though—reminiscent of things that had already come to pass. Besides, there was something in the girl's tone in front of her that made her cringe—something sarcastic and…_hostile_. She paused for a brief second, glancing around and taking a few deep breaths through her nose, trying to ignore the dulling pain above her left eye.

"You know what I want…," she whispered, staring at the new queen. The woman smiled and stayed still for a few seconds, regarding Alice with a faint look of interest.

"Oh yes, but I want to hear you say it. Ask it of me, before all you see."

Alice stared irritably at the girl, frowning at the direction this was going. If this conversation didn't go the way she wanted it to, she was planning on letting loose the black belt inside of her.

She'd fight every single person in this room in order to get him back.

"Give Hatter back to me," she said loudly, standing up with unsteady legs. The White Queen let out a giddy laugh, clapping her hands together and smiling before standing up and kicking the chair aside, slowly making her way back to the throne.

"There it is," she muttered, sitting down on the throne and biting her bottom lip softly. "That is what you wish?"

Alice swallowed the lump of fear down, her stomach squirming uncomfortably, "Yes."

Lowering her hand to rest on her lap, she summoned a servant to her side and whispered something into his ear. He hesitated when she was finished, giving her a surprised stare. The White Queen raised her brows before narrowing her eyes and adding, "Quickly." She ordered, watching as the man scurried out. When he left the room, she focused on Alice, once again that same bored look on her face.

"Sadly, darling that isn't my decision to make."

Alice stomped her foot on the ground impatiently, not in the mood to play into this child's games.

"You're the Queen of Wonderland. Who's decision is it!?" she barked out, her breathing picking up. The queen froze. Her eyes returned to Alice, and she smiled somewhat arrogantly. After a brief pause, she spoke.

"Well the answer is obvious, it would seem. But maybe not to an oyster like you, this is understandable. An individual with your level of intelligence is not likely--"

"Where is he?" Alice asked, her voice dripping with anger. The door behind them opened slowly, but Alice refused to turn away from the Queen instead choosing to glare at her. The queen smiled brightly, nodding softly before standing up and holding out her hands.

"Look behind you, my dear."

Alice narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but glanced behind her. Her jaw dropped when she saw him standing behind her, two guards at his side. There was a bored glint in his eyes, and he seemed to regard her as the queen did. His appearance was frightening. She stared into his dark brown eyes, trying to get the reaction out of him that she had been expecting. But… nothing. What was wrong with him? She instantly could tell that they had done something to his mentality. He was wearing the same clothes as that night: a pair of black jeans that were now torn and ripped along with a deep violet shirt and black jacket. His black hat was no where to be seen. His hair was disheveled, as always, but his eyes…they were different. They weren't Hatter's eyes—and they frightened her.

She took a small step towards him, wanting to reach out and touch his flesh, to make him look into her eyes until his went back to normal. Tears ran silently down her cheeks as she began to think about what they had done to him to make him look so hopeless. But no matter what expressions ran across her face, his remained the same—unmoving.

"H-hatter?" She whispered out, taking another small step forward. When she called his name, he glanced in her direction; something different flashing across his eyes, but within seconds it was gone.

"Hatter, come here," the queen ordered, and in less than an instant, Hatter was by her side. He slowly got down onto his knees, bowing in front of her legs. A pleased smirk spread across her lips as she ran her fingers through his hair, stroking his scalp gently. Alice shook her head, turning and taking a step towards her now, her territorial nature chiming in.

"What did you do to him?"

The queen looked up, tilting her head and smiling softly.

"I did as you asked, Alice. I brought him to you." She looked down and placed her hand underneath Hatter's chin, pulling him up so he was standing tall. Staring into his eyes, she twisted him around until he was facing Alice.

"Hatter, make your decision. Either stay here with us, or leave with this _oyster_. Who will you choose?"

Alice's felt her eyes widen as she took another small step forward, staring directly into Hatter's eyes, noticing the dark rings underneath. She held out her hand, a pleading look on her face.

"Hatter, let's go back. Please, come back to me…" she whispered to him and only him, watching as his expression softened for a second. In that split second, Alice could swear she saw confliction, but like before, it was gone before she could get a good look. He didn't move for quite some time.

"Hatter?" The queen asked, staring at Alice as she spoke. At the sound of her voice, Hatter turned and returned back down onto his knees before her, his head down casted, his hair shielding his eyes. Alice felt her breathing pick up, her heart beating faster in her chest as she shook her head in denial. What was he doing? Why was he bowing before this girl? Why would he choose her? Her heart was breaking inside of her, her chest tightening as she tried blinking passed tears.

"Hatter!" she called out, wanting him to look at her. However, the Queen stepped in front of him, looking smugly down at Alice.

"He's made his decision it seems."

There was no way in hell she was going to accept that. Hatter would never do this. Not the man who traveled from Wonderland just to see her again, not the man who held her so tightly it was almost as though he was afraid she would slip from his grasp, not the man who fought with everything he had just to keep her alive and get her home safely, not the man she had fallen in love with. No! He wouldn't do this to her... would he?

"What did you do!?" she cried out, balling her hands into fists and running forward. She would smash the girl's face in; she was the key to unlocking Hatter's mind. Alice ran forward but before she could reach the white woman, three guards suddenly appeared in her path. Growling, she punched one in the nose, hearing a distinctive crack of his bone breaking before grabbing onto his shoulder and kicking his knee out. Her speed wasn't fast enough though as one of the men grabbed her from behind and lifted her from the ground, squeezing his chest so hard she couldn't breathe. She used his momentum to kick the approaching third guard, causing him to fall to the ground next to the man with the broken nose. The guard suffocating her threw her to the ground with such force that she collided into the opposite wall, all air knocked out of her. She slowly began to pick herself up, trying to catch her breath as the large man drew closer.

"Enough."

The White Queen snapped her fingers and immediately, the guard stopped and moved away. Alice took the moment to gather herself, her breathing coming in deep pants. The queen placed her hand on Hatter's shoulder and forced him to stand again.

"This is no fun at all. I hate boring games…," she bitterly spat out, suddenly unhappy. She glanced behind her and regarded Hatter for a second before clicking her tongue and returning her eyes to Alice, a smile now on her face. "No, let's make it a bit more interesting…"

She glanced over at Nine and called him over. "Let me have your gun."

Nine hesitated, looking confused.

"Give me your gun," she demanded, noticing his hesitation. Within seconds, the shaky man pulled out a black handgun, placing it into his queen's hand. She gripped it tightly and checked to make sure it was loaded. Alice began to panic; fists—no problem but bullets, she couldn't protect herself against such things. She held her breath, ready to attempt pulling a matrix. The queen aimed the gun straight at her head, her eyes glowing as she watched Alice's reactions. However, a second later she lowered the weapon and turned to look at Hatter who was staring at her.

"Hatter, take this and use it."

Hatter held the gun in his hands, staring at it with an impassive expression on his face. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked back at the Queen, who tilted her head and turned to look at Alice who was still breathing heavily.

"Kill her, Hatter. I order you to."

Without warning, he cocked the gun and aimed it at Alice, his finger on the trigger and ready to pull. Smiling at Alice's terrified face, she placed her hand on Hatter's shoulder, bringing her lips to his ear. She whispered something that only he could hear, both their eyes glued onto Alice's form. After a second, she pulled away, returning to the throne.

Nodding to her words, Hatter squeezed off a shot, the blast echoing through-out the entire kingdom.

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**AN: If anyone is interested in the link and/or wallpaper (that I made) check out my website on my profile page. Please review!**

**Also try and remember that I haven't watch Disney's version of Alice in Wonderland for quite some time, and I've never read the books. So, I'm improvising. I know, the White Queen is good. It'll be explained later. **


	2. Fork

**AN: You guys are awesome! Just wanted to say a few things. I like to personally send emails back to people who reviewed; let every single person know how much I appreciate them. So, I'm pretty sure I sent everyone a reply. Melanie, Star29818, Adonenniel, and loopylulu-you guys either are guests or weren't logged in and so I just wanted to make a shout out to how awesome you peeps are. **

**Also, one last thing. My FF isn't going to be a Fra La La story--expect a lot of angsty horrible things to go down. Especially in the next chapter (please don't kill me). I do apologize, but that is how I write. I can't do sugar-coated, mary-sue things very well. So, yeah...prepare for that. **

**Once again, thanks for the support, and I apologize for any grammatical/spelling errors. I come from a public school background. -sweatdrop- **

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II.  
**Fork  
**_(in chess) a tactic that uses one piece to attack two or more of the opponent's pieces at the same time. _

_48 hours earlier…_

_"More today in our top news: legendary scientist, Albert Edward Carter, was deemed officially missing today. The highly regarded professor never returned back to his home in Sall's District when he finished teaching his classes last month. His family is offering a reward for any information about his disappearance or current whereabouts. At the moment the situation is undergoing investigation—the authorities unsure on whether to categorize Albert as a missing persons or victim of kidnap. No evidence thus far has been presented to authorities, and no one witnessed any suspicious activity on the campus that day. Albert was well known in his study on cryogenics, more specifically cryonic preservation. Counting Albert, the total missing persons in this area alone is ten. These strings of vanishings have caused a public uproar. The mayor is taking appropriate actions to prevent more disappearances and has prepared a press conference for this evening. We advise anyone who may know any information on these strange occurrences to call the hotline immediately…"_

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"Alice you look nice. Are you going somewhere tonight?"

Alice turned away from the large mirror, a small smile on her lips as she looked at her mother. She stepped into the middle of the room and spun slowly around, showing off the new light blue dress she bought for tonight.

"Do you like it?" She asked, looking down at her black boots and matching leggings. Her mother smiled and nodded, handing her a white envelope and kissing her cheek.

"It's beautiful. Happy birthday."

Alice smiled and opened the card, reading it before placing it on their mantel.

"Thanks mom," she called out as her mother disappeared into the confines of their apartment. Alice returned to the mirror, brushing her black hair until it was smooth and straight. She pulled her bangs away from her eyes, clipping them to the crown of her head. Her stomach squirmed with anticipation, her heart beating faster every time she thought about tonight. Biting her bottom lip, she checked the clock for the fifteenth time in only the last hour, and was saddened to see she still had some time to wait. The clicking of her mom's heels brought her back to the present.

"So, I'm assuming your going out to celebrate. Are the girls from work taking you?"

Alice cleared her throat uncomfortably, turning her back to her mother as she took a few steps in the direction of her bedroom.

"Uh, no not exactly."

_Or even remotely. _

She heard her mother shuffle behind her, her stare hot on her skin.

"Don't tell me you're going out alone," her mother laughed incredulously, shaking her head as her daughter turned back to face her.

"Well, actually. I have a date…" Alice drifted off, watching her mother's expression.

"A date? With who—," Carol raised her brows and placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head. "Don't tell me it's with that _David_ boy."

David…jeez, she was going to have to get use to that wasn't she? Hatter just didn't look like a "David" to her, and she still had yet to call him by the cover-name. These last two months had been quite interesting to say the least. Hatter had never been to her realm before, but he was an intelligent man—he read about human customs and observed human characteristics through books and stories. Despite this, he still had trouble fitting in with the oysters' society—he was erratic, blatantly honesty, slightly lazy, and just a tad mad.

Needless to say, her mother objected to their relationship ever since their rambunctious greeting in the older woman's living room. Carol didn't know about the life threatening situation they had just barely escaped from only hours beforehand, or how much Hatter had risked his own neck to save her only daughter. But Alice couldn't tell her mother of such things. A nice, fluffy, white room would be her birthday present this year—not a cutesy card. So she had to come up with a quick explanation about how Hatter used to be her old high-school boyfriend, who tragically moved back to England to live with his grandparents in the ninth grade.

However, her mother still disapproved, voicing something along the lines that it's not proper to lock lips with a man you haven't seen in over 7 years.

"Alice, I must voice my opinion."

Alice let out a sigh, turning to look at her mother who seemed set on announcing her disapproval, "Are you sure you want to start up a relationship with this guy? You haven't seen him in what, almost ten years! And what ever happened to Jack? I liked him; he was intelligent, well immersed, and respectful. I mean, I don't even know anything about this guy."

Alice looked away, walking into her room to find a purse for tonight. Her mother followed at her heels.

"What's his full name? What does he do? Who is his family?"

Alice spun around and faced her mother, "His name is David Hatter, and he is a construction worker. You already knew this."

Carol hesitated and made a small grimacing expression, "But Alice…a construction worker? Really?"

Alice gaped at her mother and turned around, "Mother!" She scolded, not being able to stand the woman's simple-mindedness.

_Actually mother, Hatter is an extremely wealthy businessman who used to own a teashop dealing in drug-like juices known as pearls, but decided to give up the two timing business (mainly because it was ransacked) but more importantly because he wanted to stop the Queen of Hearts from destroying Wonderland and taki—_

"Alice?"

The girl in question snapped back to reality, having completely ignoring her mother for the last few seconds. Carol sighed and shook her head, repeating the question.

"How much do you really know about David? _Really_ Alice. You guys are very serious for a couple who's only been together for not even two months."

"Mom, I like Ha—David, _a lot." _

"But Alice, you _always_ say that. You said that about Jack too," her mother insisted, leaning against the doorframe as Alice searched her closet.

"Jack will always have a place in my heart, but I've come to realize what I really want."

Her mother hesitated for a second, biting her bottom lip as she contemplated going on, "Yes, but is he what you _need._"

Alice narrowed her eyes, looking up to her mother who sighed in defeat when she got that lost look from her daughter. She closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath and walking over to the bed, sitting down on it and looking at her hands.

"Sometimes the person you want isn't the person you need." She turned her head and smiled sadly at Alice, "I just want the best for my daughter. Is David the best choice for you?"

Alice couldn't believe what was coming out of her mother's mouth. Why was she so set against David and her relationship? Alice had quite a few boyfriends before, none of them lasting more than a few months though. She had never met a man who made her feel the way Hatter could. That desperate need to see him all the time; to feel his arms around her; his voice…it was dangerously suffocating, but exhilarating all the same, and after spending so much time with him in Wonderland, it felt almost empty when he wasn't around. Alice knew she was falling hard, but she wasn't scared this time around. She knew Hatter would be there to catch her and break her fall.

That's why she was able to look at her mother with stubborn vigor and speak with undeniable strength, "Yes, he is."

"But you don't know anything about him!" Her mother insisted, shaking her head at her daughter naïve faith. "What if he comes from a dangerous family? You said he went back to England to stay with his grandparents, where are his parents? What about psychotic ex-girlfriends?"

Now she was just grabbing at straws! Alice jumped in, taking a step forward looking angry, "You don't know what you're talking about. David is—," She was upset with herself when her voice faltered. God, could her mother be right? She didn't know anything about Hatter's past. All she did know was that he played both sides for the majority of his life. But nothing else. Where were his parents? What about brothers, sisters, cousins? Friends? Ex girlfriends? Was Ratty considered to be his friend? If it were true, he was in dire need of some new ones. And girlfriends? The thought made her stomach churn with jealously. A con-man like Hatter must have had past lovers. She didn't want to believe it, but it was true. Hatter was a complete mystery to her.

"That's the point of dating. I'll learn all this eventually," she pointed out, which was somewhat true. Hatter barely ever disclosed matters about his own past, and Alice had begun to think that it was darker than he originally led on. She didn't want to push him, but now that her mother voiced it, she couldn't deny her curiosity.

Curiosity killed the cat.

She remembered the situation she found herself in the last time she read those words. Taking a breath, she felt her mothers arms wrap around her shoulders, and she tilted her head up to look at her.

"Look, I just want to make sure that this is really the best option for you. Just take things slow. Don't rush into anything you'll regret."

This was so unlike her mother. She never ever chastised Alice about her relationships; she gave her advice when she needed it, but she never told her not to try and attempt to make a relationship work. Sure, Hatter may not have been as polite as Jack, but you couldn't blame him for that—his company for the last few years had been rats and addicts. Nodding to simply appease her mother, Alice smiled a little and watched as her mother exited the bedroom. When she finally left, the girl let out a great sigh of tension before falling back and flopping down onto her bed. She tried to erase the questions her mother had spoken, not wanting them to ruin her night, but she knew that they were unlikely to leave her alone.

Placing a hand on her forehead, she closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose, trying to clear her mind. When the doorbell rang however, her eyes flashed opened and she sat up so quickly, her head spun with lightheadedness. She got off the bed, running past her mother's room, and calling over her shoulder, "I'll get it!"

When she reached the door she looked through the peephole, a smile forming on her lips when she saw him standing on the other side. She opened the door, and felt her stomach flip with excitement when she saw him.

He was leaning against the doorframe, his brown hair brushed neatly but covered mostly by a black hat on his head. He had a scheming smile on his lips, his chocolate eyes shining in the light and was clothed in black pants, a deep, violet shirt, and black dress jacket. When she opened the door, he pulled the hat off and bowed his head slightly, giving her a grand smile and looking at her outfit. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him inside the apartment, and as he stepped in, he placed the hat back on his head.

"I'm almost ready, I just need to get a purse for tonight," she informed him, turning around to head back to her room. Before she got even a step closer though, Hatter grabbed her forearm and spun her around, narrowing one eye at her when she faced him.

"Now, wait a minute," he objected, his accent like bells to her ears, "you haven't given me a proper greeting." He grinned like a child and pulled her closer to him, his one hand resting lightly on her side as the other gripped her upper arm, guiding her closer to his warmth. Alice grinned back at him, her blood getting warmer in her body as he bent his head to kiss her. The kiss was soft and playful, leaving Alice wanting more; a light kiss that managed to make her toes curl and her head spin. He pulled away before her, a satisfied grin on his lips as he watched her dazed expression. He tilted his head when she didn't move. Finally, after a few silent seconds, he turned her around and pushed her lightly,

"Alright, you can go get your purse now."

She took a deep breath, trying to keep her head on straight. All those times she watched movies and read stories about how a kiss could physically take your breath away always made her laugh, but there was no denying her weak knees or spinning head; she felt like a little school girl with a crush, but she had never met anyone like Hatter before. To be completely honest, this power he held over her was a little frightening. She wondered how he really felt about her, if his feelings ran as deep.

Disappearing into her room, she quickly found a black purse in her closet. Taking a moment to fill her purse, she called out to him, voicing a question that had been bothering her all day.

"So _David, _where are we going tonight?" She used his earthly name because there was no doubt in her mind that her mother was eavesdropping from the other room. Hatter let out a soft chuckle as he approached her bedroom, leaning against the framing and staring at her as she got ready.

"Nope, now that's a surprise."

Alice straightened up, narrowing one eye at Hatter as she grabbed a light black sweater from the closet.

"Now I'm nervous. Should I be nervous?"

His trademark smile spread across his lips as he shook his head and shrugged, turning his back to her and walking across the living room to the door.

"Naw, not to worry about anything Alice," he placed his hand on the doorknob and twisted it. The door opened and he ushered for her to follow him. Rushing to his side, Alice yelled a quick "Bye" to her mother before following Hatter and slamming the door shut. Hatter walked forward, glancing behind him as she followed. He reached out his hand for her to take, and gripped it firmly in his when she took hold of it. They walked towards the elevator, and when they got in and the doors closed, Hatter pulled her closer to him, lowering his lips to her ear.

"You look beautiful tonight," he whispered softly before kissing her cheek. Before Alice could speak though, he changed the subject. "Your mum still doesn't like me, huh?" He asked, a hint of amusement laced into his voice.

Alice tilted her head and looked up at him, squeezing his hand softly, "Well, it's not every day I go around kissing a stranger in her living room."

"It was a friendly greeting," he confidently responded before adding, "Besides didn't you come up with a cover story?"

"Well yes, but that was after she established a first impression of you. That moment, she thought I was locking lips with some random construction worker. Not to mention, it was only a few hours after I'd brought Jack home for her to meet."

Hatter's grip on her hand tensed for a split second as he watched the double doors open. He walked out of the elevator, her by his side as they began to stroll down the dark streets.

"Right, all the girls love Jack," he muttered under his breath, mostly to himself. Alice tugged on his arm, poking him softly in the gut and turning him to face her.

"Um, I believe I turned Jack down, didn't I?

Hatter tilted his head at her, biting his lip in thought before recovering, "Aye, yes but only after you dated him for a few months, right? Doesn't really count."

Alice rolled her eyes as Hatter turned and began walking forward, dragging her with him.

"You are very stubborn."

"Yes," he agreed, turning when they reached the end of the block. Alice glanced around, biting her lip softly as she stared at Hatter who seemed to know exactly where he was going.

"Really Hatter, where are you taking me?"

He shook his head and smirked, squeezing her hand a bit harder, "I told you Alice, it's a surprise. I don't want to ruin it."

Trying to think about where they could possible be heading to, she allowed him to lead her through the still busy streets of downtown Cobbersons. After a five minute walk, they reached the docks, the smell of water and bayside restaurants filling her nose. Lots of other couples seemed to also have the same idea because there was quite a few of them walking down the stone paths, or feeding the ducks, watching the stars, or laying in the warm grass. It was very romantic—something she hadn't expected out of Hatter. (Yes, she did feel guilty about it.)

But Hatter wasn't the typical guy who liked to show off his girlfriend to all his buddies. He was very protective and territorial. He had an adorable awkwardness to his attitude which made Alice laugh on occasion. She could tell that he had a hard time expressing his affection for her—Wonderland's strange views on emotions having dampened his own. But when he did do something sweet—like make plans for her birthday, she couldn't help the smile that spread on her lips.

Hatter stopped in the middle of the field and let go of her hand, turning to face her, a nervous smile on his face.

"Alright, you need to close your eyes now."

"What?"

"That's right; I said close 'em," he grinned and pulled his hat off, placing it on her head and pushing it down so that it just barely covered her eyes. Alice laughed and shook her head, reaching her hands out for his guidance. His warm fingers immediately laced with hers and he began to slowly walk, forcing her to follow him.

"Keep those eyes closed," he warned, still walking. Alice tilted her head and gripped his hands tighter.

"I swear Hatter, if you push me into the water; I'm not going to be happy."

Hatter sucked in an insulted gasp of air, placing one of his hands onto her hip for further guidance,

"Now Alice, I never even dreamed of doing that. Although seeing a pretty girl in a very wet dress always sounds promising," his voice was playful, but held a heat in it that would have made Alice blush if she wasn't so concerned about tripping. The sound of his footsteps filled her ears, and soon she heard a creaking of wood along with the sound of lapping water. As she stepped onto a different surface, she hesitated. The wood was rocking back and forth slowly, like it was unsteady. She almost pulled the hat away from her eyes, but the sound of Hatter's voice stopped her.

"Trust me," he whispered, before taking a few steps back. Alice nodded, and took small steps forward. Eventually, she made her way onto a harder wooden surface, but the light rocking still continued. Hatter moved around her, and pulled the hat off her head, placing it on his own as his hands covered her eyes. He nudged her forward a little with his body, before uncovering her eyes.

"Alright, you can open your eyes now."

She did, and when they were opened she felt them widened. They were standing on a small boat that was stationed in the dock. Before them was a small table for two, teacups and chocolate cakes settled neatly on the table-clothed surface. Hatter placed his hands around her waist, hugging her to his front and placing his chin on her shoulder. He smiled and raised his brows.

"Did I do good?" He asked, walking around her form so that he could see her expression. She shook her head in a daze, before looking at him.

"This is too much. When did you have time to do all this?" she questioned, taking a step forward and smiling softly when she saw a lit birthday candle in the chocolate cream pie.

"Well I made time," he concluded, lacing his fingers into hers and pulling her closer. He raised his hand, and softly brushed some of her hair away from her face, tucking it softly behind her ear. "I just wanted to make sure you had a _very, merry, birthday."_

Alice smiled and followed him as he sat down, taking her seat across from his. She eyed the things on the table, laughing softly when she realized what they were.

"Tea and cakes?"

Hatter nodded, his eyes wide.

"Of course, what else?"

Alice couldn't help but smile as Hatter poured the tea, but she eyed the chocolate cream cake, remembering something that Hatter had said in Wonderland.

"Are you testing me, David Hatter?"

A guilty smile lit his face, "Maybe." He took a sip of the tea, keeping his eyes on her as he drank. Alice shook her head and looked into his eyes, sitting forward.

"Believe me, you will never become 'what was his name again?'"

Hatter nodded, taking another gulp of the tea before placing it back on the table, "I guess we'll find out." He reached over to the chocolate pie and lifted it, placing it so it was right in front of her. "Make a wish, Alice."

She stared into the flame, her eyes hypnotized by the fire as the orange glow began to lighten and her surroundings began to darken. She thought deeply about the wish for quite some time before finally closing her eyes and blowing the candle out. Hatter grinned and picked up one of the metal knives, cutting two rather large pieces—one for her and one for him. He took a bite of it before picking up his tea and drinking. Alice took a bite of the cake but stopped and regarded him for quite some time.

_Damn it._

She didn't want to ask it, she didn't want to think about it, but her mother's voice kept ringing in her head. She played with the cake for a few seconds before looking at Hatter, who was pouring himself another cup of tea.

"I think I figured out one reason my mother is so…reluctant about our relationship," she began, thinking over the right words to use. Hatter hesitated, his eyes averted from hers as he sipped the drink. He made a small expression of discomfort before meeting her eyes.

"Please, do tell," his voice suddenly sounded different…colder. He leaned back in his chair, a frown on his face.

"I think it has something to do with how locked up you seem to be," she said slowly, examining his facial expressions which didn't seem to change. "I mean obviously you can't tell her you're from Wonderland, but you're such a mystery. I-I mean I don't even really know much about you."

Hatter chewed the side of his cheek for a second, a dark glint spreading across his iris's as he looked out into the waters, tapping his foot impatiently on the deck. Something suddenly felt different—his demeanor, attitude…something was off. And he had yet to react to her statement.

"Hatter—?"

Before she could finish, he cut her off, his dark brown eyes glaring directly into hers, "You know what, Alice? I couldn't give a damn what your mother thinks of me."

Alice narrowed her eyes, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest defensively, "Excuse me?"

"You seem so concerned about appeasing that damn woman, maybe you should have chosen to stay with Jack; I'm sure your mum would have preferred it that way."

He tore his eyes away from her, picking the cup up and swallowing the rest of its dark contents. Alice was taken back; her mouth opened slightly in surprise at Hatter's straight forwardness. Where did all this come from? Why was he being so defensive, so mean? Alice stared at him, clearing her throat and putting the fork down.

"Hatter, I think that's unnecessary—"

"You know what I think is unnecessary Alice: a back seat councilor who hasn't been in a relationship in over ten years."

Alice started getting angry.

"Hatter, it isn't just her. You know so much about me, about my past but I know nothing about you."

Hatter looked at her, a deep frown on his face, "It's not my fault you dragged your problems to Wonderland for all to see."

Alice sat back, looking hurt and shocked.

"Hatter, what's wrong with you…?"

At this Hatter began to laugh, a crazed sort of chuckle that managed to send chills down her spine. He hit the table with his palm, causing the surface to shake and the silverware to jump from their spots.

"There's always something wrong with me, eh." he muttered under his breath, his eyes staring at the white cloth covering the table, his leg still tapping against the wood floor. Alice didn't move, staring at her boyfriend and waiting for an explanation.

"Why are you acting like this?" she demanded to know, trying to recall how this conversation went from being so pleasant to so aggressive. Hatter looked at her and smiled a wicked grin, shaking his head as if amazed by her words. Without warning, he stood up and leaned over the table, putting his face closer to Alice who flinched at his sudden movement. He stared into her eyes for a few seconds before speaking.

"Grow up, Alice." He whispered at her, tearing himself away from the table and walking off of the boat. He ripped the hat off his head and ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it as he walked away. Alice sat at the table alone, staring at his empty chair, too shocked to realize what just happened. When she finally snapped out of her stupor, she turned her head to stop Hatter, only to realize that he was gone.

"Hatter!" she called out, standing up and walking forward, ready to go after him. She stopped when she heard a voice.

"What an inconsiderate jerk."

Alice jumped at the proximity of the voice. A girl, no older than seventeen with long, wavy platinum blonde (almost white) hair and brilliant, blue eyes rounded a corner and boarded the small boat, a pleasant smile of her lips. She was wearing faded blue jeans and a white corset top, her hair pulled up into a loose bun, her bangs falling into her eyes. She was absolutely gorgeous—the type of girl that makes you realize all the imperfections about your own body. And she was still only a teenager!

The girl walked onto the boat gracefully, humming softly and looking away from Alice to stare at the table. Alice tried to ignore the strange girl, taking a step forward and searching the dark park trying to figure out where Hatter had disappeared off to. When she heard a clinking sound, she turned her head and witnessed the teenager sniffing the teapot, making a small disgusted face before pouring the contents overboard into the cold waters.

"Ugh, I hate tea. Makes me sick."

Alice huffed softly, not in the mood to talk to some random stranger but peeved by her lack of respect.

"Who the hell are you?"

Placing the pot back onto the table, the girl smiled and sat down in Hatter's chair, crossing her legs and eyeing the chocolate cake.

"My name is Lucé White," she sat up a little, pulling the candle out of the cake and sucking on the wax, licking it clean before returning her eyes to Alice and nodding off into the distance, "Was that your boyfriend?"

Alice shook her head, surprised by Lucé's frankness. But at the mention of her boyfriend, she turned and started to walk off of the boat.

"I need to go after him."

"That's not a good idea, darling."

When Alice turned narrowed eyes back at her, the blonde shrugged and poked her finger into the cake, scrapping a good chunk off the top before adding, "The boy seems _raving mad_," She stuck her finger into her mouth and slurped off all the chocolate, her sapphire eyes staring at Alice. "You might get hurt."

Alice felt her blood turn cold, something unsettling causing her stomach to lurch uncomfortably. She shook her head as her eyes swept over the new acquaintance, "I know Hat—David," she caught herself before continuing, "He would never hurt me."

When the teenager heard Alice say the name David, she laughed softly to herself, tilting her head while she ate a piece of the cake, "David is it now? Hmm, doesn't suit him."

Alice took a step forward, this girl really starting to make her mad. What right did she have going about judging people, assuming things, insulting Hatter, eating other people's cake!?

"You don't even know him!"

Lucé's eyes flickered back over to hers, her expression sobering up, her face darkening dangerously, "I know him more than you think," she thought about it a bit more as her eyes swept over Alice's entire form before adding, "Even better than you, _Alice." _

Alice stared at the girl for a long time. Only the sound of lapping water, the soft creaking of wood, and the eerie whistle of the cool wind disrupted the silence that had settled between them. How did she know her name? Alice took a deep breath, holding the air in her lungs before she repeated her original question, "Who are you?"

Taking another small bite from the cream pie, Lucé stood up and let out a tired sigh, lifting her arms up over her head and stretching. She walked forward, responding to the question when she was positioned shoulder to shoulder with Alice.

"You'll learn soon enough," she said lazily as she took another step forward, adding before she left, "Happy Birthday, Alice."

She took her leave, her heels making soft thuds against the wood. When she was a good few feet away, she turned her head and said one last thing before departing, "I've left you a present—should be neatly wrapped at home."

And then she was gone, leaving Alice with a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

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How dare she! How dare she! How dare she demand to know information about his family, his past, _himself_!? It was preposterous. Down right mad! Ugh, who the hell did she think she was? What gave her the right to—?

Wait a minute.

He stopped dead in his tracks, ripping the hat off and scratching the top of his head. This was wrong. Something was very wrong. Sure, Hatter didn't like talking about his past with anyone, but he had expected it to come up eventually with Alice—and he had told himself that if she asked him, he would tell her. So why was he so upset? Why did he feel the need to hit something—anything with his fist? Why had he said those hurtful things to the woman he—

It wasn't natural. And although he regretted saying those things to Alice, he was grateful he'd got away from her. He might be able to fix his nasty words, but if he had taken more physical actions to release his anger—their relationship would be over.

Taking a deep breath, he unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt, suddenly feeling like he couldn't breathe. He was sweating, and there was an incessant throbbing against his skull. Moving quickly, he turned down one of the empty alley's and stumbled deeper into the shadows. There was something bubbling inside of him, acid burned his insides, his mouth grew dry as his heart rate increased. Sucking in short breaths through his nose, he leaned his forehead against the cold brick wall, whispering random nonsense to himself in an attempt to calm down. When it didn't work, he pulled back his fist and punched the wall with so much force, brick bits flew everywhere. He was about to turn around when he heard a voice, echoing off the walls.

"Twinkle, twinkle little bat…"

Hatter felt his eyes widen, the hairs on his neck standing tall. Slowly he turned around, only to see a cracked white rabbit ceramic head emerge from the shadows.

"Hello Hatter."

_Gr__eat. _

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**AN: There is a reason why Hatter is acting like this, and it'll be explained in the next chapter. Oh, and did anyone catch the very, merry birthday thing? (A very, merry, unbirthday). Yeah, thought it might be cute. ^.^ **

**As for my next update, it won't be until at the earliest probably Wednesday because I have exams tomorrow and tuesday. However, lots of reviews and love always helps! ^.^ Thanks so much everyone; you make my day.**


	3. Exchange

**AN: I apologize to everyone for not getting this out earlier. Things got a little hectic. But exams are over (and I don't think I did well on my Literature--opps). But now because I'm on break, I'm working a bit more. I worked Sunday and today and I'm working Wed and Thurs as well. I need the money badly. Eh, but anyway here is Chapter 3. Thanks all those who reviewed! I check this site like 10 times a day and I'm so happy when someone reviews. I'm also happy to see the growing fandom! A special shout out to: zodiaccat, Nalani, Kate3sHatter, 3, and Iluvdolphins who I couldn't personally respond back to because they weren't logged in or they don't have a login name. Your reviews are very much appreciated! **

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III.  
**Exchange  
**_(in chess) the capture of a pair of pieces._

"How did you—," Hatter began, his eyes locked on the rabbit advancing towards him.

"You're not the only one with tricks up your sleeves."

He should have known one measly punch wouldn't be enough to take him out. Squinting his eyes, Hatter examined the rabbit-like helmet on the man's head, noticing something that wasn't there in the torture room. He recognized the crack, courtesy of his legendary fist, the rather large hole beginning right where the indent to the rabbit's eye was supposed to be. Cracks and chippings extended from that puncture hole, sweeping across the rest of the porcelain material and reminding Hatter very much of bodily veins (the bloodstains splashed across the bleached head not helping). But the most unnerving feature was the florescent, cerulean eye staring back at him through the hole.

_Why did it look__ so familiar? _

When Hatter gave the crazed man one last glance over in that torture chamber, behind that deep crack was nothing but empty air. When had he obtained a head? And whose was it? And now that he had a head, why did he insist on wearing that ridiculous rabbit mask?

Hatter shrugged the questions off, knowing that more than likely he would never get the answers to them. He turned his body to face March, and stepped into the middle of the alley, clenching his hand into a fist and cracking his knuckles. He knew the direction this conversation would go. However, he was curious to figure out why the hell March was here. Simple revenge seemed unlikely, besides March never really was one for leadership. Someone had to be pulling his strings. The question was who?

"Why are you—,"

Before he could finish, March cut him off, "You were really going to leave me there, weren't you?"

Hatter narrowed his eyes, the bubbling in his stomach making his throat constrict slightly. Perfect, the moment Hatter wanted nothing more than to duke it out with someone was the one moment March actually wanted to talk. Had their roles been switched? Certainly looked like it. Breathing through his nostrils, he shook his head in partial confusion.

"To get blown to pieces," March chuckled softly, mirth shining through his one eye. "Is that how you treat all your friends?"

Hatter stepped forward, glaring at him and ready to release the pent up anger inside, "You aren't my friend, March, just a ghost of one."

March's artificial head twitched violently before he lunged forward. Hatter mimicked the man. He aimed a punch straight for his face, but March managed to block the blow, moving his body to the side with incredible speed. Before he could register his location, Hatter felt his body being pushed forward, his chest slamming into the wall, his cheek smashed against the cold brick. March had his one hand gripping Hatter's head, his fingers tugging painfully at his hair while the other held Hatter's one arm in a death grip behind his back. Pulling his arm up, March let out an amused chuckle as Hatter released a painful growl, his bones on the verge of breaking.

Thinking quickly, he used his feet and placed them on the wall, pushing with all strength and butting his head back, momentarily stunning March. Hatter spun around and punched the rabbit right in the stomach with so much force that it sent the man flying backwards and crashing against a trash receptacle. Hatter waited for him to recover, shaking his arm to alleviate the tense and sore muscles. As March stood up, Hatter noticed three people emerge from the shadows, their eyes glowing in the dark as they stepped forward.

There were two males and one female. But as they stepped out into the light, Hatter felt his stomach drop, his heart stop beating for a split second. They had distinctive tattoos running from their neck all the way up to their one eye. It was a dark black vine like root—and their eyes…they looked like flowers. The iris was completely black, but the Sclera's whiteness was disrupted by colored, petal-like opals. Hatter shook his head, watching as the group progressed closer to him.

"_Flores de la Morte_... Impossible," he muttered, stepping back.

"Don't!" March yelled out, the group halting in their steps when he spoke. As he stood, he pulled a dagger out of his sleeve all the while staring at Hatter. "This one's mine."

Hatter looked away from the assassin's as they disappeared back into the shadows, unnerved by the new situation. How did Mad March gain authority over these legendary killers? He didn't have that kind of power. But why would he need that power?

Hatter turned to his left and grabbed an old, discarded wooden chair, kicking off one of the legs and holding it in his right hand for defense. As soon as he got the piece of wood, March attacked, swinging the blade down. Holding the leg in both hands, Hatter raised it above his head and blocked the swipe, kicking March in the stomach and forcing him to stumble back.

That pent up anger was slowly easing with every passing blow, but he could still feel something unnatural flowing through his veins, and he was convinced that March knew the reason behind it. Avoiding another blow, Hatter swung the wood like a bat and hit his enemy in the head.

"Why are you here, March?!" he demanded to know as the rabbit attacked relentlessly, blow after blow sending Hatter on the defense in order to keep his head. He was too slow though and when March made a swipe near his chest, he wasn't fast enough to dodge. A clean slice cut into his shirt and skin; the victim letting out a hiss of pain before quickly retaliating and knocking the dagger out of his hands with the bit of chair. However, as he averted his eyes to see where the blade landed, March took his opportunity and slammed his leg into Hatter's gut, ripping the wood out of his hands and throwing it over his shoulder.

"You have something we want," he responded finally, his voice low and angry.

Doubled over, Hatter huffed out in pain, sweat covering his brow as he stumbled back, "We?"

Mad March ran forward and gripped Hatter's neck, slamming him into the wall again and chocking him mercilessly. He lifted his body with ease, his legs hovering from the ground as March chocked the life from him. Hatter clawed at his hands, gasping for air and turning red with every passing second. The sickly feeling of blood dripping down his skin made him panic. He stared into that glowing blue eye, trying to remember as black spots started to eat away his vision…

_Who… who… who? _

"March, I thought I told you _not_ to kill him."

At the sound of her voice, March released Hatter and stepped away, glaring at the girl approaching the two. Hatter crumpled to a pitiful mess on the ground, coughing violently as he desperately tried to fill his lungs too quickly.

"Guess it slipped my mind," March replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Mmm, I can see that."

Her voice was cold like ice and all too…_familiar_. Wheezing, Hatter looked up and froze when he saw the figure emerging from the shadows. She was different—older, but her features resembled what he remembered when they were both younger. She was everything he imagined her to be when she finally grew up. But when he looked into her eyes, he felt his blood turn cold. They were different, shadows of what they once were. Dark and dim, filled with hate and disgust. Hatter stayed on his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath, but making sure March stayed in his view. His eyes focused on the young girl standing before him.

"Lucé…?" he whispered, confused and lost by her appearance.

"Hatter," she regarded him, a fake and cynical smile on her lips, "Oh, wait. It's David, isn't it now?"

He narrowed his eyes, concerned by the malevolence in her voice. Before he could respond to the question, she spoke once more with that same sickly sweet voice.

"Have you been having fun playing make-believe in this nauseating world?"

Mad March took a step back, but his eyes remained glued on Hatter. Hatter spoke the one question that was screaming at him, not even registering her question.

"Lucé, how did you survive that fire?"

He remembered the day that shocking news had been delivered to him; it had been right before the teashop opened. Lucé made a small face in his direction before stepping forward and bending over to stare directly into his eyes, a frown on her lips.

"Who do you think started it?"

His stomach lurched forward, a blank expression on his face. What? How—Why? What was she talking about? She created the fire, the fire that destroyed her home, her family, her life? Hatter shook his head, something squirming distastefully in the pit of his stomach.

"But your mother—"

"—was dead and gone by the time countdown started."

Lucé finished, sounding incredible bored by this entire conversation. She stood back up, her hands at her sides as she turned to look at March. Hatter shook his head; none of this made any ounce of sense. Why would Lucé destroy her own beautiful palace? Why would she burn every precious childhood memory, every trace of her mother, her home? Too many questions formed in his head until finally he decided to ask.

"Why?"

Lucé stopped speaking to March and froze in place. After a second, she turned her head to give Hatter a good look, her expression a mystery, but her eyes curious. She remained silent for quite some time, simply watching Hatter as he slowly stood up, his eyes never leaving hers until finally she parted her lips and took a daring step forward.

"Why?" She repeated, looking up at him. If she was intimidated at all by their height difference, it showed not in her face. Her voice sounded shocked—as if his question had an obvious answer. When he showed no sign of understanding, she decided to explain it for him.

"That place was a constant reminder of the hell I was forced to live in. After my mom left, I was alone in that place," her voice suddenly changed. It didn't sound so hostile, but hurt. It was the first time Hatter truly recognized the child he grew up with. Her expression was so vulnerable, so desperate that he was rendered dumb and quite frankly stunned.

"Reduced to talking to air and shadows, the filth that squandered around the floor, the hidden angels who wouldn't share their dolls. The servants didn't like me—they never liked me. They thought I was some spoiled brat who complained to that _goddess_ of a woman too much. I saw the hate, disgust, and disappointment in their eyes—and I knew they would be leaving next…just like everyone else. As soon as the wages ran out…"

She suddenly stopped, returning her dimming eyes to glare up at him again. Hissing softly, she stepped away from him and crossed her arms over her chest, stepping back until she was standing next to March. That frightening fury was back again, shining like fire in her eyes. Her voice returned to stone—hard and unbreakable.

"So I locked them in and gave them front row seats to the show."

Hatter shook his head, not believing this story. There was no way she would— Not Lucé, not little Lucé. No, she couldn't have...

"You killed them," he stated, staring at her with wide eyes. She smirked and tilted her head slightly.

"Of course, they deserved it—just like _he_ did and just like you."

March twitched his head as Hatter stepped forward, trying desperately to get Lucé to snap out of whatever daze she was in. He tried to reason with her, tried to offer some kind of explanation for his past actions.

"Lucé, the reason we left, it had nothing to do with you!"

The teenager stared at him with a detached expression; the kind of look that made chills run up his spine. It was the look of indifference, of complete isolation. What happened to her during those ten years she had been presumed dead?

"I know that," she answered, her voice matching her heartless disposition. "It had absolutely _nothing_ to do with me."

This was partially his fault; he knew his sudden disappearance would affect the girl, and he had expected her to hate him for it, especially after the promises he made, but he never expected it to go this far. What else caused such antagonistic feelings? He looked at her, pleading softly as March shuffled impatiently nearby.

"Would it help if I apologized?"

Lucé laughed softly as if he had just made a joke. But when he remained sincere, she looked at him with astounded eyes. Tilting her head, she took a tiny step forward, looking into eyes and searching for something.

"You act as though I still care," she whispered, shaking her head slightly appalled. "I don't need _you _anymore. I have an entire city at my heels."

Hatter remained silent, shaking his head in confusion, "What?"

She smirked and stepped back, ushering the assassin's forward but keeping her eyes on him, "I think it's time we returned to Wonderland."

It was than that something very important caught his eyes. A small sparkle of light against jewel. His mouth dropped when he saw the Stone of Wonderland on her finger. He took a sudden step forward which caused March to move to attack. Lucé placed a hand between them, stopping him from moving forward as she turned around to raise her brows at Hatter.

"How did you get the Stone?"

She grinned and laughed softly, raising her hand to show off the ring.

"It's been in the family for a very long time."

She turned away from him, not giving Hatter anything else as she regarded March and the assassins.

"March, party is about to start. You don't want to be late, do you?"

March didn't move for some time, and Hatter was almost positive he wouldn't listen to White's commands, but after a minute or two, the rabbit turned away and began to walk out of the alley.

"Make sure you don't kill her, _Maddy_."

He turned his head backwards to give Hatter one final glare before disappearing around the corner.

"Train, go with him. He'll be needing your help."

Without a word, one of the men standing in the shadows walked forward and in an instant was gone, leaving only four to their party. Lucé turned her back to Hatter as the two other assassins stepped forward and began closing in. Hatter didn't know what to do, or what Lucé wanted from him. If she didn't seek revenge, than what? What did Hatter have that he could possibly offer?

"I met her," Luce interjected his thoughts, her back still facing him a few feet away. "The oyster you fell for. Pretty little thing, she is."

The way she said it—with poisoned honey suggesting intentions or actions that have come to past or that will in the near future—made his anger return and the territorial animal in him claw out. Furrowing his brows, he made a fist and ran forward towards her, that bubbling wrath returning with each intake of breath. Before he could reach her form, which hadn't moved or bothered to glance in his direction, the two remaining assassins reached out and held one of his arms, preventing him from moving forward. He tugged violently at their hands, trying to rip himself out of their grasp and strangle the answers he seeked out of Lucé.

"If you laid one finger on her, I swear I'll—!"

"Temper, temper Mr. Hatter. You're off your rocker. What such cause for this sudden ticking, hmm?"

Hatter didn't answer, instead choosing to glare at her while panting heavily through his parted lips. Lucé smiled and turned, placing her fingers into her pocket and pulling out a clear bottle, a small label on the front of it. Hatter narrowed his eyes and tried to read the word, a loud gasp leaving his lips when he realized what it said.

Anger. _Anger. _**Anger. **Anger. Anger **Anger **_**Anger**** Anger **__Anger _Anger Anger!

"You know the best thing about this? The color. A deep, reddish-brown. Some could easily mistaken it for hot chocolate, coffee…_tea_."

She let out a laugh when his expression changed from surprise to comprehension. No, so that was the reason behind all this!? That was the culprit of tonight's disaster? The thing that ruined Alice's birthday? The reason he acted like a complete and total jerk!? It was because of her!?

"Lucé! You spiked my drink! Why?!"

"Why not?" she asked, shrugging and smiling. "It was entertaining."

"That's it!? That's all it was for!? To please your sick, twisted mind?"

The teenager grew sober and stared at him with a darkening glare.

"I wanted to see the oyster child you abandoned Wonderland for. The person who made you think you were worth more than that which you are. The idiot who felt you deserved to screw up again, just this time in a different world. Because no matter what Hatter, you always screw things up—time and time again. Just because you pretend to be an innocent oyster, doesn't mean you are one."

He didn't care about any of this. He didn't care about her or her "sorrowful" little story anymore. Right now, all he was worried about was Alice and her safety. If she got hurt because of him, he'd never forgive himself. He grew still in the flower's arms, his head bowed.

"If you hurt her Lucé, I'll never—"

"Oh don't worry. I won't touch her."

Relief washed over him. Maybe this whole predicament could be solved without involving Alice.

"No, I'm letting March have all the fun."

His blood turned to ice, his eyes widening as his heart suddenly sky rocketed out of control. March would kill her! Or do even worse things to her! He had to get out of here; he had to help her, protect her! He began to struggle again, but before he could do anything, he felt a cold hand on his forehead. He looked up and saw Lucé standing before him, her eyes glowing brilliantly. In a blink of an eye, an invisible wall pushed him with so much force that he slammed against the brick behind him, hitting his head painfully hard against the stone and slumping to the ground as he fell closer to sleep. Trying to claw away from its grips, he tried focusing on the environment around him, failing miserably. Hands gripped his arms and he felt a shifting, soon realizing that he was being lifted and dragged deeper into the alleyway. A figure walked in front of him, leading the way—someone pale and glowing, illuminated by the moon's light.

"_Everything has a moral, if only you can find it." _

Someone was speaking, but whom?

Hatter didn't have much time to ponder this because within seconds, sleep had settled in, swallowing his entire form towards the murky and dangerous waters of unconsciousness.

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A cold wind blew against her back, blowing her hair forward to tickle her cheeks and nose. Her stomach twisted sickeningly, her eyes staring at the table before her but unfocused the entire time. What had just happened? She felt as though the events of tonight had been some kind of dream—unreal and waiting to be washed away as soon as she opened her eyes. But it seemed to go on and on. That girl, Lucé had it been? Who was she? And how did she know so much about Hatter and her? Was she simply some nut job who wandered off the streets and who had overheard their conversation and fight?

Her thoughts settled on the fight itself. She felt partially responsible for it. Alice never wanted to pry into someone's past; it wasn't hers to know, only his to give. And she had never been one who found herself curious to know someone's history, but ever since dating Jack, she found a new fear settling in her stomach. Unfortunately, she had trust issues ever since her relationship with the King of Hearts. It wasn't that she didn't trust Hatter—she did, with everything: her life, her love—but there always existed that itching feeling that something horrible would happen if she trusted in someone completely, like they would let her down—just like Jack, just like her father. She was a horrible person to even think so, even she knew that—but she couldn't escape the fears no matter how hard she tried.

Once she started dating Hatter, she told herself she would face these fears head on. Just because it frightened her didn't mean she was going to not date Hatter. He would help her overcome these fears—she just needed to hold his hand and look into his eyes and she could do it. But now she was alone, and he had left her because of what she demanded of him, and all she could feel was pure panic. She had to find him and apologize for the things she said, for bringing up such a touchy subject.

She turned and ran away from the boat, her mind going blank as she began to run faster. The only problem was she didn't know where Hatter would run off to when he needed time alone. She retraced their steps, taking the same path they took earlier to get to the park. Eventually her feet led her back to her apartment and by this time she was out of breath and gasping for air. She ran up to the entrance, doubled over with her hands on her knees trying to fill her lungs. Closing her eyes, she took a few seconds to calm her mind and even her breathing. The most important thing to do during this kind of situation was to stay calm and collected. If she began to panic too much, the situation could turn sour. Jeez, when had she turned into her mother?

Sucking in a deep breath, she slowly opened her eyes, her vision focusing on a small spot on the ground almost immediately. Tilting her head, she kneeled down a bit further, the overhead streetlight illuminating the small circle of ground under her. A tiny red dot was near the toe of her shoe, soaked into the white pavement. Paint? When she placed her finger over it and brought it to her eyes, she saw that her skin was slightly stained. Grinding her teeth together, she stood back up and raised her head, looking towards her apartment locating on the 13th floor.

No, there was no way. She was just being paranoid.

_I've left you a present—should be neatly wrapped at home._

Not hesitating for even a second, Alice ran to the front door, ripping it open and walking up to the elevator. She pushed the bottom repeatedly, huffing impatiently as she watched the damn thing move at an incredibly slow pace down each floor. When it stopped at the sixth floor, she decided she couldn't wait anymore. Turning to her left, she ran towards a door at the end of the hall, rushing past the reception desk, whose workers gave her a questioning glare before returning to their paper work. Pushing the metal door open, she ran up the many flights of stairs, not slowing to catch her breath or nurse the sudden cramp in her stomach. After what seemed like forever, she approached a door with the number 13 imprinted in large letters against the metal. Within seconds, she reached her apartment and placed her hand on the knob, unnerved when she found it unlocked.

She stopped when she reached her living room, noticing how all the lights were out. Everything seemed to be moving too slowly, both her brain and her body. Turning, she ran down the hallway towards her mother's room. When she opened the door, her heart stopped in its chamber. She stopped breathing, her eyes wide and scared. Words were splashed on the wall above her mother's bed, illuminated only by the muted television. Her mother's show was on—something she would never miss. Taking a step into the room, her brain slowly began to register what the words on the wall said.

_and thus she fell further and further down the rabbit hole…_

The words were a dark red, almost brown and were dripping down the white wall. It was fresh. Shaking her head in shock, she began wheezing in air, trying to stop her world from spinning out of control. She ran up to the bed, pulling off the covers as tears welled up behind her eyes.

"Mom? Mom! Where are you?!"

_Dad? Dad__dy! Where did you go?!"_

A soft creak in the floorboards informed Alice that she wasn't alone, but she was too late to stop the attacker. As she turned, cold fingers wrapped around her neck, and soon she was being pushed back and against the wall. Her eyes closed and her body tensed as she collided with the wall, but almost immediately she began fighting back. Her body hesitated though when she reopened her eyes and recognized her assailant.

She knew in that instant that both she and Hatter were in danger, and that something very wrong had happened in Wonderland. But right now, only one thing was on her mind.

"Where's my mother!?"

She demanded to know although her voice came out as a strangled cough.

Mad March chuckled darkly, his grip tightening as his one blue eye glimmered in the darkness.

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**AN: Yes, a bit dark. I'm not sure when my next update will be, but I'll work on getting it up as soon as I can. Happy Christmas everyone and happy holidays! **


	4. Tactics

**AN: Gah, this is a long one. It's why it took me so long to write and read over. And I want to apologize in advance. No Hatter in this chapter. I know, you're all hating me already. But I had to get this chapter in. It's extremely important and has a lot of the history that you will need to know. I actually really like this chapter, but I know a lot of you are probably reading this and are waiting for your Hatter fix, which I promise is coming! I compiled this into one big chapter so that Chapter 5 will be filled with Hatter nomness, which it will. I've already started working on it. So be excited my pets. Cause I am. ^.^ The italics indicate past events in this chapter. If you get confused, send me a review and I'll happily summarize what this chapter entailed. **

**Shout** **out to Iluvdolphins and Folgersgirl for reviewing!**

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VI.  
**Tactics  
**_(in chess) refers to a play characterized by short-term attacks and threats which limits the opponent's options and may result in tangible gain. _

_This journey through the backlands of Wonderland hadn't been a very pleasant one. How she missed her beautiful throne, her lovely suits, the luxurious casino, and her prevailing authoritative command that no one dared questioned until that deviant son of hers and his twit plaything roused up the courage. And then they dare banish __**her**__--the true and rightful Queen of Wonderland who supplied nothing but satisfying emotions and insurmountable surplus for her country? But no, that damned resistance had to stick their pointy noses where they didn't belong. They reached out their sticky claws and groped her son right out from her grasp, disillusioning his mind and feeding him ugly lies. _

_In all honesty, had her ruling actually caused great destruction for anyone? Not counting the knights, everyone seemed to be getting along just fine—besides the oysters of course, but they weren't exactly people, only animals for harvest. The knights had not been her fault. Oh no, not at all. The Queen had wanted nothing more than to sign a hostility free treaty with the old ones, but they refused her kind offer, and like any great warrior, when they didn't give her what she wanted, she had her men invade. Was she supposed to regret that decision because it was considered morally wrong or wiped out an entire group (excluding one lone man)? She tried to be reasonable, and when they had been unreasonable, she went and she conquered. That was what defined a great conqueror—the ability to see past normal societial views of right and wrong and do the things that needed to be done that others feared to do._

_She made this nation; she made her people happy; she supplied the emotions; she worked hard every year to keep the masses pleased, and this was how they rewarded her? By turning their backs and siding with that devil? Unforgivable. _

_But in the end, everyone would get what they deserved. She would get her city back. _

_Wonderland was in a widespread panic__ now that the oysters were gone. And it would only get worse. She warned her son before she got booted out, but he didn't listened—like always. The dependant addicts were slowly growing in their numbers and causing a lot of trouble within the city. Those were the ones she would go after when she returned to the city with more firepower—they would stand by her because of their desperate need to feel the ecstasy they longed for. And then he would pay, as would that little oyster tart that ruined everything for her._

_All she needed was money and power—which explained why she was wading through these disgusting swamps and forests, risking her own life to save a city that desperately needed her leadership. She was so frantic that she was reduced to asking her sister for help-- the sister that she hadn't seen in ten long years. They called her "The White Queen" and she ruled a small town in the high mountains of Wonderland called Salamarian. It was one of the few surviving counties not ruled by the Hearts dynasty. Her sister never seemed to support the idea of extracting emotions from oysters, but never opposed it either. She took all those who didn't want to be a part of the "kidnapping" (which wasn't many) and set up a reign in the eastern mountains. _

_And after 3 weeks of trekking through the abandoned lands, the Queen of Hearts finally reached the small county. _

_And it was just her luck that she learned of her sisters' death. Brilliant._

_The small town was even smaller than she imagined, made up of farms and miniature shops. She didn't understand. Why would these people prefer to live in a boring, dying town as opposed to something bigger and better? Their lack of intelligence was astounding. When she demanded to know why the hell she hadn't been informed of her dear sister's death, one of the little men replied that letters had been sent out to the families informing of such tragedies and sharing when a memorial service would be held. _

_That had been of course seven years ago! _

_The Queen never had any time to read any of the mail that __people sent to her, there was way too much of it, and the majority of it was made up of petty problems involving starving families and rising resistance demands. Hardly worth any of her time. Still, at the moment, she wanted nothing more than to chop off this man's head and feed it to one of the many famished dogs wandering around the grounds. _

_The woman walked up to the palace which once belonged to her sister and regarded it with an insulted glare. This was just like Lucia—the one moment she needed her, the white bitch decided not to be around. Typical. Scoffing, the Queen turned thinking about what she should do now that her plans had been ruined. She was soon stopped though when an elderly woman approached her, staring at the burnt down palace. _

"_A tragedy isn't it?" she stated, looking at the remains sadly. _

_The Queen __remained silent as she glanced over her shoulder. "Yes, it is," she finally replied, her voice grumpy with disappointment. _

"_She was a fabulous woman and a caring leader. She is deeply missed within this village." _

_The Queen of Hearts rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, wondering what was so great about Lucia that everyone seemed to see. She turned to look at the elder, her eyes narrowed. _

"_I bet," she snapped, taking a seat on one of the nearby wooden benches, trying to formulate another plan. The Queen's annoyed tone didn't seem to offset the woman, seeing as she continued to speak as if they were actually having some form of conversation. _

"_It was just a horrible incident—and so many people died in the fire."_

_A fire huh? So that was what finally brought down her dear sister? She had to admit, she was disappoint and frankly, a little embarrassed. _

"_A fire? Lucia White, the youngest daughter of the great Heart descendents was brought down by a fire?" she asked, her voice skeptical. _

_The elder woman turned to look at her with an inquiring expression on her face._

"_No, Lucia disappeared long before the fire took place."_

_The Queen stared at her with a slightly annoyed and confused look, remaining silent until the woman explained. _

"_She left with a caravan to visit a neighboring country to meet up with a man whom she was to remarry. But a week after her expected arrival back, we learned that she had disappeared somewhere along the journey back home. After a month and nothing to show for our hard troubles, it was deemed that she must have been killed."_

_The Queen looked skeptical, raising her brows and laughing softly as she tried to flatten her wrinkled red dress, "Did you ever think that maybe your __**perfect**__ Queen got tired of her role as high ruler and decided to abandon her supremacy and her country? Death isn't the only explanation—"_

"_Death __**is**__ the only explanation. Nothing would keep Lucia away from her daughter."_

_The woman's eyes returned to the burnt remains that had been left untouched as a memorial to those who died, "But her sudden absences took its toll on little Lucé. The child went through a depression so great that the darkness eating away her mind slowly contaminated her soul. That bright light grew dim right before our eyes, and we stood powerless and watched her fade."_

_Oh, that's right. Almost eighteen years ago, someone had mentioned Lucia being pregnant. However, the last time the Queen of Hearts saw her dear sister, Lucia had come to her palace and had presented no child when she came. The Queen of Hearts never did anything to recognize the child nor had she given her younger sister any gifts or counsel. She hadn't even ever seen said child. _

"_Lucé didn't have anyone left. Her father died soon after she was born, the rest of her family is a mystery or are too busy taking care of their own reigns to adopt a child, and the mysterious man whom Lucia was to marry, the man who should have eventually became her step-father went into a bout of madness himself from the sudden loss and hasn't been heard of since." _

_The Queen stood up, not entirely interested in the story anymore and more concerned about figuring out what she was suppose to do now. The villager across from her wasn't very perceptive because she continued to rattle on. _

"_But every trace of the White's was lost in that fire—the family tree, the legal documentations, the letters, all the servants and—," she hesitated, looking at the ground sadly. "What a horrible way to perish. Poor child." _

"_That's what the elders think happened but we think differently, we do." _

_The Queen turned and watched as three young boys, no older than fifteen approach them. She grimaced at their appearance—covered in dirt from head to toe, how indecent! Their clothing hung off their bodies and looked raggedy and worn, their skin covered in a layer of dirt and ash, their hair disheveled and tangled. Hadn't this town ever heard of a little thing called a bath? And the way they spoke and presented themselves, as if no better than the dogs sniffing for leftover scraps. How could their parents allow the hooligans to run about and disgrace the family name by their horrid appearance? It was downright shameful. _

_The eldest woman turned and smiled at the children, shaking her head. _

"_Now don't go feeding this lovely woman your tales. Allow the dead to rest peacefully." _

"_It isn't a tale. Johnny here saw it with his very own eyes!" _

_The black-headed boy standing behind the apparent leader nodded his head, his eyes wide with belief. The Queen found herself curiouser and curiouser. _

"_Saw what, precisely?" _

_The aged woman glanced over at her, disapproval in her hazel eyes. _

"_Now, now kind stranger, d__on't go on believing these children's myths. Youth sees things that we do no longer remember. It was imagination only."_

"_Was not!" the leader yelled out defiantly__, shaking his head with confidence. "We was in the Eastern woods when we saw her! Like an angel dropped from the skies. Tell 'em, tell 'em Johnny!"_

_The boy reached back and grabbed Johnny, pushing him forward as if his words would produce all evidence needed. The boy in question cleared his throat and took a great breath, as if preparing for a sudden theater scene. He then began, waving his hands around and bubbling with excitement and enthusiasm. _

"_Only around a year went by before we kids started seeing her in the eastern woods, down near Fletcher's Market near the High East Mountains. Only a year after that fire and her **presumable** death," he bore his eyes into the elder's, who only rolled her eyes and shook her head comically. "We were playing 'Catch the Cat' when I saw her in the distance. I tried following her; she was humming a soft tune which carried through the wind. I followed her as fast as I could, but ended up losing her and meself in the process. Ricks found me a few hours later," Johnny said, nodding his head towards the leader who was nodding his head in agreement. _

_The elder woman stepped in, her hands resting softly on her hips, "The villagers searched those woods countless times, for both remains of Lucia and for this apparent sighting of Lucé, but nothing ever turned up. Nothing."_

"_But we's aren't the only ones! Other kids in the village swear to 'ave seen her too!"_

"_That was what…almost five years ago, Johnny! You could only have been nine or ten. How can you be sure that you saw her? Children tend to see through believing—"_

_Johnny cleared his throat and kicked the ground with the toe of his dirty and worn shoe, looking away from the elder and lowering his head. His face appeared to get red as he grew still and quiet, looking suddenly uncomfortable by the direction this conversation had gone. Ricks laughed softly and nudge his friend in the side with his elbow, a bright smile on his face. _

"_If Johnny here thinks he saw her, than he saw her. He had a lil' crush on the white princess, didn't yah Jon? He would spot that girl from a mile away." _

_The raven haired boy turned and punched his friend square in the gut, his face flushed as his friend fell to the ground gasping from the laughter and pain. _

"_Alright, alright. I think we both have had enough of your boyish tales. Run along now, I'm sure your mothers our calling your names for supper by now." _

_All three boys nodded and began to turn to leave. As they were walking away, Johnny shoved Ricks in the shoulder, growling something at the boy as they left. However, they all stopped when they heard someone calling out. _

"_Jonathan." _

_The boy turned and looked at the Queen with a surprised expression. He burrowed his brows as he stepped forward, abandoning his friends and approaching the Queen who was beckoning him towards her. She put on a pleasant smile and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, staring off into the distance. _

"_Where did you say this 'Eastern Woods' was located, hmm?" _

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_Yes, call her mad__, but she was desperate and running out of options. If she could find Lucé, she might be able to persuade her to return to that old rundown village and ban together with this old Queen to take back her Kingdom. That was assuming that the boys little story had actually been true, which seemed quite unlikely. But she decided to go with her gut instinct. There would be no harm in it. Her plan was flawed and was more likely to fail than be successful, but it would be absolutely shameful if she didn't at least try. _

_Thus explained her present situation—trapping through these thick, abandoned wetlands the villagers called a forest. Obnoxiously incessant birdcalls reminded her of alarm clocks that never ceased, constantly telling her that her time was running out. This had to work; there was nothing left for the Queen to try. It was what fueled her to move forward—sticky step after sticky step. _

_She had spent the night at that strange village, and got up as soon as the sun rose in the sky that morning. Now it was mid-afternoon and all she had for her troubles were muddy boots, scratches from thorns, and a maddening hair-do. Thank the heavens Jack couldn't see her now—reduced to an animal slugging through mud and dirt. It was disgraceful and embarrassing, but if she could succeed in getting what she wanted—it would all be worth it. _

_Sweat dripped from her forehead, the sun high in the sky, and the precipitation creating a heavy air which caused the small insects to buzz out of their homes and dance. It made it almost hard to breathe, and she was soon huffing, her head feeling lightheaded from her strenuous pace. Eventually she stopped and sat down on a fallen tree, the lush leaves shielding her from the suns harsh rays. _

_She was hot, muddy, tired, and annoyed._

"_How could this get any worse?"_

_A crackle cried out from the skies and almost instantly after she breathed out those cursed words a sheet of rain started to hail down. She sat there, now not only hot, muddy, tired, and annoyed, but wet. Her red hair matted on top of her head into a tangled mess and she groaned out in aggravation. After another minute of resting, she finally stood up and took a small step forward, ready to walk even deeper into the forest. She froze when she felt something sharp pressed against the small of her back. A voice spoke to her, its' tone as soft as a whisper but as deadly as poison. _

"_State your business in this here Eastern Woods, or your blood will fertilize our precious roots."_

_Instantly and without warning, dozens of deadly spear-like weapons were pointed at her from all sides. Like flashes of lightening they appeared in front of her, without any indication at all. They had managed to sneak up on her without making any noise. It was almost as if they vaporized from the air itself. Every time her eyes fluttered shut for but a second, more would appear around her. Before she could do anything, they surrounded her completely, cutting off any chance of possible escape. Angry, she glared daggers at the people, offended by their animalistic behavior. _

"_How dare you raise your weapons at me? Do you have any idea who I am!?"_

_The rain continued to pelt down on top of them, soaking the native's tight dark clothes and creating pools of muddy puddles everywhere. The Queen glared into the barbarian's eyes, her own widening when she saw the legendary tattoos and mutated flower designs. No, there was no way her luck was that bad. These couldn't be the legendary ____Flores de la __Morte. If anyone in Wonderland would know of their existence, it would be her. But no one had actually claimed to have met such assassins; they were legends, myths! _

_Suddenly, a voice broke through the crowd. At the tone, a few of the members split, revealing two young women walking up to the tousled queen. The one woman was of Asian decent, her tall, slim figure intimidating, as where the color of the petals in her eyes—a crimson red that glowed in the light. However, the girl next to her was her antithesis. She was shorter with small features, her eyes a bright blue—the tattoo's and petals absent from her face, distinguishing her from the rest. Her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulder, dripping from the shower being sprayed upon them. Her clothes were soaked through. They didn't match the rest of the hostile force surrounding her. While they were all dressed head to toe in black, this child wore white. _

_She broke the silence with a smooth and humorous voice, "__And who are you exactly? Surely not the Queen of Hearts anymore? For there have been whispers in the wind that demoralized your name and suggested something more," she paused, trying to find the correct word, "…embarrassing?"_

_A cruel smile appeared on her red lips, amusement shining in her eyes as she continued, "Banishment. You have been exiled from the reign you once ruled. Isn't that right, auntie?" _

_The Queen of Hearts found herself struck dumb. Was this--? Could it be? And as soon as she thought it, she knew it be true. Her next thought was blurted from her psyche before she could stop herself._

"_You look just like your mother."_

_At this, the smile that adorned her niece was wiped from her face. Her eyes narrowed, and the air grew tense around them. Finally, after a moment of silence, the blonde spoke with a deadly tenor, _

"_She is but ashes and dust in the ground. Your words are uncanny." _

_The Queen was still fully aware of the weapons pointed at her from all directions, and she began to wonder why these people weren't attacking Lucé as well. Did she hold some kind of authority over them? But how? She was nothing but a child—with no extraordinary attributes. Once the initial shock began to wear off, she found herself thoroughly surprised that those boys had been correct in their sightings. However, at the moment she wasn't sure whether she should be thankful or ungrateful. She eyed the weapons pointed at her once more, before returning her focus to her blood relative. _

"_Can you tell them to lower their weapons," she demanded, not enjoying their aggressive treatment. Lucé pursed her lips, glancing at the weapons before tilting her head back at the Queen. _

"_I haven't decided yet," she responded, taking another step forward, her arms clasped behind her back. _

_The Queen grew impatient and glared at her. _

"_Decided what?"_

_Lucé's answer was almost immediate, her voice deadly, "On whether I should have them kill you or not." _

_The Queen paled, her throat constricting as her stomach flipped nervously, the tone of the girl's voice frightening her. She tried to keep her composure, tilting her head up as to appear confident. _

"_You wouldn't—"_

"_You think so?" Lucé asked, chewing the side of her cheek in thought. "Now, I wouldn't be too sure. I mean who are you exactly? No family of mine. I have never even met you—not once. I wouldn't even know what you looked like if it weren't for the portraits and paintings my mother kept in our home. You are nothing but a stranger to me. And we don't take kindly to strangers…" _

_She turned her back to her aunt and began to walk away; the red eyed woman stared at the Queen for a second before turning and following the white witch. The animals around her began to close in, their eyes glowing dangerously as they pressed their metals sharper against her skin. The Queen had nothing left to give or offer. _

"_Please, I need your help!"_

_The girl stopped and hesitated as she heard her aunt beg. Lucé spoke as one of the hunters was about to drive a spear through her relative's throat._

"_Hǎyaté." _

_The hunter stopped as the rest of the band stepped back. Lucé slowly turned, her eyes interested. Turning her body to fully face her aunt, she tilted her head and grinned, waiting for her to continue. Taking a few deep breaths, the Queen tried to regain her composure, her feet sinking in the muddy ground as she shifted. _

"_I need you to help me take back my kingdom." _

_Lucé__ stared at her for quite some time, a silent plan forming in her head instantly. A smile formed on her lips, her eyes bright with vigor. _

_Her aunt had just made the biggest mistake of her life. _

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His grip tightened around her throat causing the young woman to squirm against the wall, black dots sweeping across her vision as her quickening pulse began to ring in her ears. Alice began to panic, kicking her feet in protest as her lips parted demanding for air. Her hands flew to her neck, violently scratching at March's human hands and breaking skin. No matter how deep she dug her nails into his skin though he never released his hold on her nor did he lessen his grip. Her mind started to spin out of control, her eyes rolling back as her limps grew heavier and heavier.

_Think Alice. Think!_

She had to stay calm! If she didn't act soon she would lose consciousness, but if she acted too quickly, she would accomplish nothing. Racking her brain for the most effective move, she felt her feet return to the ground, March lowering her as she stopped struggling. As soon as she met solid ground, she moved. Reaching out, she placed her hand on the bend of his arm, gripping it tightly while pulling down with all her strength. Her other hand cupped the side of the rabbit's head and by placing her foot in the right place; she managed to whip March's body around until his head hit the wall behind her. His grip loosened and Alice managed to rip herself out of his hold.

She stumbled away from him, coughing and gasping as her vision wavered before her eyes. Trying to configure herself, she turned around only to find March recovered and already advancing towards her. She managed to block his first blow, but wasn't quick enough to avoid his second. His pulled a right hook and it hit her square in the chin. She fell to the ground, sporting a split lip and a bleeding mouth. Blood dripped from her mouth onto the creamy white carpets below. She couldn't feel the left side of her jaw, but her lip stung like hell. Fingers clawed into her scalp, tugging her up until she was standing. She let out a pained groan as he punched her in the stomach. Falling forward, she quickly reacted by kneeing him in the groin, satisfied when she heard him yell out in pain.

They released each other, both falling backwards to lean heavily on the opposite walls of the room. Alice was panting, blood dripping down her chin while March doubled over, trying to breath through the pain. Alice sucked in a deep breath, preparing herself to attack once more. But as she ran towards the middle of the room, she suddenly stopped when a glint of silver caught her eye. Her body tensed as her entire mind went blank.

She knew that necklace. She was fond of that necklace. It was the necklace her father bought her mother for her thirty-fifth birthday. Her mother never took it off.

A rough chuckle snapped her out of her daze. Mad March grimaced as he stood straight, holding the necklace in his one hand. He tilted his head at her and spun the chain until it wrapped around his finger. Alice swayed, the present situation suddenly rushing past her. Things had been moving so slow, but now everything was going too fast. Switching her focus from the necklace, she glared into March's eye, not moving a muscle. When he started chuckling once more, her fists clenched, her voice finally returning.

"Where is she?"

March cracked his neck, taking a breath and glancing around the darkened room, his eye focusing on the message written on the wall. After a few painful seconds, he finally looked back at her.

"Do you really wanna know? Or would ya prefer to twist my head off?"

"Nothing else on earth would grant me more satisfaction—"

"Nothin', eh? Not even seeing dear mummy one last time?"

Alice felt her stomach drop, her worst fears coming alive. Glaring at the machine standing across from her, she took a daring step forward ignoring the pains in her body, too concerned about her mother's current position.

"If you hurt her, I swear—"

The rabbit's head twitched. In a blink of an eye, he had moved until he was standing inches in front of her, dangling the pendant before her eyes. Alice froze and stared at the necklace, her throat dry. March was extremely close, his body almost touching hers. He was staring intently at her with his one visible eye.

"You'll do what, Alice? You have nothin' to threaten me with," he stated, staring at her for a few more seconds before turning his back and taking a few steps away. Alice swallowed the lump of fear in her throat down and tried to get her pulse to return to a normal beating pattern. March turned and fixed his tie and suit, cracking his neck once more.

"This is not an arrangement. This is not a negotiation. You will do as I tell you, or I will kill the one you call 'mother', that clear?"

Alice looked away from him, her eyes falling to the blood soaked walls.

"What do you want?"

March stepped forward. She could hear his footsteps approaching her but she refused to look at him, too ashamed of the deal she was making. He placed his long, cold fingers around her forearm, pulling her closer to him.

"Just your cooperation," he answered, dragging her with him as he walked out of the room and through the apartment. Alice made no move of opposition. What could she do? Fight and risk her mother's safety? Never. If something happened to her mother because of her own accord, she would never forgive herself. But if she learned that this mad machine killed her mom, he would pay. No amount of torture he received from the Queen of Hearts in the past would prepare him for the cruelty she would bestow upon him.

As they left the apartment and entered the elevator, Alice felt a wave of uneasiness spread across her. His name breathed across her mind like wind—Hatter. What if Hatter found out about this? Would he come rushing to her aid? Would he risk his life for her yet again? That of course was assuming that Mad March hadn't already killed him. Her nerves rose again as she turned to look at the rabbit.

"Hatter, where is he? He has nothing to do with this right?"

March remained still, staring forward at the closed doors. Alice squirmed in his grasp, grabbing his jacket with her fist and shaking him.

"Answer me March. I'll cooperate, I promise! Just please tell me he's alright."

She pleaded with him, her breathing heavy. March didn't answer at first, but eventually his head spun around in an unnatural way until it turned to look at Alice.

"You really care about him, don' ya?"

Alice didn't answer, her body trembling softly.

"I can't wait to see him break ya heart."

The bell rung indicating that they had reached floor one. Tightening his grip, the hare dragged Alice out of the complex, towing her down the dark streets. The cold air helped dull her aching chin, the blood on her face drying. Lifting her hand, she wiped the blood off of her face, making sure to avoid her split lip. March hadn't exactly given her a straight answer, which frightened her a great deal. Doing her best to keep up with March's long steps, she turned her body in order to look up at him.

"Where is Hatter?"

If anyone might know, it would be him. March made no sudden movements but Alice could swear his pace faltered slightly.

"Ya know, for someone who has no seat of authority in this predicament, you sure are demanding."

Alice said nothing but continued to stare up at him.

"Eh, what the hell? It'll make no difference anyhow," he shrugged, turning down an alley in order to avoid the many oysters congregating in the busy street up ahead. "_You're_ Hatter has something that the Queen wants."

Alice narrowed her eyes in confusion, shaking her head in denial, "The Queen of Hearts? Why does she still have—?"

"No, not that overgrown cow," he interrupted harshly, approaching one of the many abandoned shacks that littered the neighborhood they had entered. Alice kept her eyes opened, searching the shadows and alleys. This wasn't the best place to be when the sun went down. No matter where they were, she felt that eyes were always on her, staring at a distance. March didn't act as though he noticed or was affected by it at all.

Her thoughts returned to their previous conversation. If he wasn't talking about the Queen of Hearts, than who? Had Jack chosen a bride?

"The Queen?" Could it be? "…duchess?"

March gave her a look, but than shook his head in what Alice could only assume to be confusion.

"Uh no. The White Queen. Hatter stole something that rightfully belonged to the Queen, and now he shall be incarcerated until he gives it back."

Alice looked up at him, her eyes wide as they entered one of the shacks.

"Hatter wouldn't—"

"Do you even know your boyfriend? This is Hatter we're talkin' about. _Two-face_ Hatter, _Conman_ Hatter, _Mad_ Hatter… It is in his nature to steal; it always has been."

The way March spoke, it was although he knew from personal experience. Alice opened her mouth to call him out for it but another question settled in her mind—one that seemed more important.

"So where do I fit in all this?" she asked tentatively, glancing around the abandoned living room. March tugged her harder, forcing her to walk up the steps to the second floor.

"You will be our leverage."

She was about to open her mouth when a gunshot shook the small home. Alice winced and kneeled onto the ground, startled by the earsplitting noise. March stopped walking but didn't appear to be alarmed. They both stopped at the top of the steps, facing a door to the far left which was closed but had spray-paint covering every inch. Alice panicked when she heard voices coming from the other side of the door.

"Breeve, shoot him again!"

"Where the hell did he go?!"

More gunshots blasted from the hidden room. March tilted his head to the side before grabbing Alice again and tugging her forward. Reluctantly Alice followed but as they got closer and the bullets didn't stop, she tugged desperately at March.

"Look, I know you have guns in your world. Let me just remind you, that mask won't hold up against bullets! This could be suicide!" She whispered desperately at him. When he didn't listen to her warning, she began to fight back. She was just about to spin out of his grasp when he swung the necklace in his fingers again. Her eyes widened and she looked at him, growing still as he placed his hand on the doorknob.

"Breeve, behind you! Behind you!"

"He's too fast! How can he move that fast?!"

March opened the door which prompted the two thugs to spin around, guns raised and eyes frightened. They were dressed in the typical brute garments, mostly dark colors with hats covering their heads and steel tipped black boots. They took in the appearance of Alice and March, and for a split second their weapons wavered.

"What the fu--?"

What happened next happened so fast that Alice couldn't tell what actually took place. A man who almost seemed to vaporize from the shadows appeared behind the thugs, his eyes glowing a golden hue amplified due to their dark environment. One of the thugs instantly fell to the floor in a blur of yellow, his neck twisted in the wrong direction. The strange man attacked the other thug as he turned to find out what happened to his partner. In less than a second, the criminal had large gashes covering his skin. Blood ran like rivers down his body and his screams filled the small house. The blood fell into his eyes, blinding him and he fell to the floor, raising his gun to shoot randomly. Before he could even lift it a little, the weapon was kicked out of his hands and his was pushed back so he was lying on his back. The attacker raised his knee and sent his foot crashing down onto his throat. Breeve chocked and gurgled on what Alice could only assume to be his own blood until he finally drowned in it.

Alice felt her legs shaking, her eyes staring at this brute before her. His fingers were dripping with fresh blood, and a few drops of the crimson were spattered across his face, but his dark clothes remained unsoiled. He turned to face the two, his expression dead and waiting for orders. Was this man-? Did March hold authority over such a force? Her fear spiked to new levels.

"Let's go," March demanded, pushing Alice forward.

"Not until I know my mom is safe," she risked, staring at the faces of the two dead people in front of her and hoping to all the Gods in the sky that she didn't resemble them. March sighed deeply and looked at the other man in the room.

"Train."

The man bowed slightly and walked forward, heading towards another room in the house. March pushed Alice forward, eyeing the dead men.

"Follow him," he said, grabbing one of the guns and checking for ammunition. Alice walked forward, anxiety eating away her strength and making her hands shake with unease. She entered into a larger room—a master bedroom perhaps. The first thing she noticed was a familiar looking large mirror taking up one side of the room. However, her mind reared off course completely when her eyes fell onto a beaten form lying on the bed. Alice ran forward, cradling the bleeding woman in her arms, tears in her eyes.

"Mom? Mom, wake up. Look at me, please."

Her mother's face was bruised and covered in small cuts as was the rest of her body. Her clothes were sticking to her skin in some places and she could distinctively see a tint of dark red staining different patches of her clothing. But what scared her most was the large gash across the side of her head. It was bleeding profusely, dripping onto the white pillows her head was laying against. Carol was breathing but she wasn't waking up or stirring to the sound of her daughter's panicked voice. Alice turned her head as she heard March entering the room. She jumped off of the bed and ran over to him, pushing him so hard against the torso that he collided with the wall.

"You bastard! What did you do!?"

She stepped forward, pulling her fist back to smash into his mask, but froze when two gold eyes flashed in front of her, blocking March from her sight. The assassin stood merely inches in front of her, his fingers pressing against the bend of her throat. Her heart skipped a beat—she hadn't even heard or seen him move. March laughed softly, his hand on Train's shoulder.

"You have one of two choices, Alice. You can come with us willingly, or we'll drag your unconscious form to the Queen's throne. Your choice, but no matter what, you will be going back to Wonderland with us."

Alice shook her head, still aware of Train's fingers at her throat, her pulse pounding against his skin, "I will not leave my mother here alone."

March let out an annoyed sigh, his one blue eye rolling.

"Stubborn child," he muttered, turning away. Alice moved quickly. She whipped her head to the right as her right hand batted the tattooed man's fingers away. Remembering her classes, she prepared a round house kick but the second that her foot should have collided with his face, he disappeared. A soft breeze alerted her that a presence was behind her, but as she spun around she was attacked. The fight didn't last for more than ten seconds but by the end, Alice was on the floor gasping for air and sweating, having a hard time moving and barely able to keep her eyes open. He had hit her in the neck three different times, each time a different part of her body grew numb and paralyzed. He also hit her shoulder, lower back, and her otter thigh causing her to fall to the ground, wheezing for air. Pressure points? Who was this guy? How did he have such amazing percision? And how was he able to incapacitate her so easily?

March hovered over her, brow raised, "You thought a few thugs would be deadly, yet you pull a move like that on a guy like _this_? Why, she's stark ravin' mad."

He stepped forward, walking closer to the mirror. Train followed closely behind, picking Alice up without any effort and draping her over his one shoulder. As she furthered herself from her mother, Alice tried reaching out her hand in an insane attempt to perhaps grab onto her.

"In she goes," March said, somewhere behind her.

As Train shifted her in his hold, she called out, "Mom!" But before she could do anything useful she was shoved into something not entirely solid, yet not completely liquid either. Suddenly, she was screaming and falling. Colors swirled all around her, her mind spinning as the sound of freefalling filled her ears. She was afraid to look but she couldn't close her eyes. A dark surface appeared to be approaching from below and just before she was about to slam into it, a sensation of that of a parachute stopped her deadly fall. She floated in mid-air for a split second before finally crumpling to a pitiful mess on the ground.

Her hearing was muffled and everything around her seemed to be moving too fast. An unbearable ringing was giving her a headache, but she was thankful to find that she could move her limbs slightly. They hurt like hell on earth, but at least she wasn't paralyzed anymore. Licking her dry lips, she pushed herself up until she was in a sitting position. Whatever she was laying on was cold and wet. When she glanced down she realized she was laying in a patch of grass which was covered in frost. The once beautiful flowers around her were dead and wilted—but all too…familiar. Looking up, she recognized the long, dark hallway, the sparking wires hanging from the ceiling and the dimmed lights swaying in the breeze.

She was back.

She had returned to Wonderland.

Standing up, she took an unsteady step forward, surprised to find that the flooded hallway was now covered in a patch of ice. She carefully stepped onto it, ignoring her aching limbs as best she could. Heels and ice were never a good combination, but as long as she took things slow, she'd be fine.

A sudden screeching behind her startled her and she slipped, landing ungracefully on her butt. Turning her head, she felt her stomach churn nervously when March fell from the large hole in the ceiling, landing gracefully on both legs. The man entitled Train landed next to him a few seconds later. Alice hesitated for a brief second before awkwardly standing up and running in the opposite direction. She just hoped she could remember her way.

When she began to run, March heaved a deep sigh, "Seems set on playin' a game of cat an' mouse."

He ran forward, ready to hunt. Train however hesitated, eyeing the ice with malice before eventually following. Alice could hear the hare behind her and to her disappointment, he seemed to have better balance than she. He slid forward and with his stroke of luck, managed to knock her down. He held the gun to her forehead as she began to get up. She froze when the felt the muzzle against her skin. Raising her hands in defeat, she slowly stood up, closing her eyes and sighing out hopelessly. Train took his spot next to March, his fingers on the wall for support. March took a breath and nodded to the door to their right.

"Go," he ordered which Alice complied, walking out of the door and down the hall, holding her breath and trying to keep her balance, her hands still raised in the air. She continued to walk forward until she came to a set of double doors which she pushed opened but immediately stopped when she took a step outside. She remembered this place all too well. And she remembered the thing she hated most about Wonderland—the heights. The buildings were still run down and seemingly abandoned, and there was still a long way down if one should slip. The altitude made her panic and cling to the brick wall for safety. But she did notice that Wonderland had changed even if slightly. The skies were dark—like it was about to storm, the clouds so ghastly it was almost haunting. And snow covered different patches of the ground along with ice and frost.

March walked out next, turning to look at Alice and laughing softly at her scared expression. He told her to move forward again and she grudgingly obliged. Trying to get her mind off of the plummeting gap next to her, she thought about her mother and used that to fuel her anger. If anything happened to her, she would make March pay. Thankfully, time moved differently here than it did in her world. The last time she had been in Wonderland only a few hours had gone by. If she could get out of Wonderland soon, she might be able to get her mother safely to a hospital.

First things first, she had to find Hatter. She had to figure out what the hell happened here. March had said that there was a new queen in Wonderland—the White Queen was it? If that were true, what happened to Jack? Where was he? Did he give up his kingdom? It was unlikely. But then, how did age work in this world? If time moved faster, did that mean Jack was already dead? As for that, did the denizens of Wonderland age like those from her world? Still walking, Alice had no idea where they were headed. The Hearts Casino had been obliterated. Had they rebuilt it? She didn't like not knowing what was going on and at the moment, she felt as though she was oblivious to the world around her—just like she felt the first time she ventured to Wonderland, but at that time she had Hatter to help guide her and keep her safe. Now, she was stuck with March and his freakish killer friend. She didn't trust them to guide her safely to Hatter.

Turning down a corner, she heard a familiar cry before a horse came bolting forward.

"Sir Charles Eustace Fautheringay la Malfoy the Third has come to thwart the injustices of this plague!"

The proceedings happened so fast that no one, not even Train was prepared to defend himself. A horse flew forward and knocked the side of its rear into the tattooed man. Train slipped on the ice and fell backwards until his balance, which seemed messed up due to the winter conditions sent him flying off the edge and sky diving to the rocks below. Alice grabbed onto one of the nearby trees, afraid that the same would happen to her. She glanced up and felt her eyes widen with both relief and panic.

"Charlie!"

"Yes, Alice of Legend, it is I, the White Knight—come to your service once more," he spoke flippantly, trying to fish his sword out but the metal getting stuck in its holster, as always.

Alice watched as the horse her old friend was riding spun around in circles because it wasn't getting proper directions from the driver. Eventually, it got fed up and stopped moving, his butt facing March. Charlie groaned in mystery, looking forward.

"Where did he go?" He muttered before turning around and spying March behind him. "Ah ha! You sir thought you could fool me? Now you are trapped in my claws! Felcie, turn around so I may face this nugbag head on!"

As Charlie struggled to turn his horse around Alice wasn't sure whether to be relieved that she had been rescued or worried that now March had two captives.

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**Charlieeeeeee! He's like my favorite character in Alice, truely! I can't wait to play with his character more. Well, now it's 6 in the morning so I guess I'll go to sleep. When I wake up, I hope to see some nice reviews. :D Chapter 5 should be up soon, and get ready for Hatter to come back into the story. We're are only about one chapter away from when Chapter one takes place! Thanks everyone! **


	5. Unpinning Pt I

**AN: I'm so sorry guys for multiple things. This obnoxiously long wait is just one of them. I decided to split Chapter 5 into 2 parts. I hope the length of this chapter makes up for the wait. Thanks to all who reviewed and special shout-out to all my anonymous reviewers (Folgersgirl, Alice [not in Wonderland], and Alice). Enjoy!**

V.  
**Unpinning:  
**_**Part One  
**__(in chess) the breaking of a pin. _

March raised one brow at the sight of the knight in front of him. He regarded him with a surprised expression, but made neither offensive nor defensive move—he simple stood still, watching. Eventually his expression grew bored having become tired of waiting for Charlie to successfully turn his horse around. He gripped the gun tighter in his hand, and glanced to his left—staring at the spot where Train had been standing just moments before. Finally, he looked forward, returning his gaze to Charlie who had successfully managed to only turn his horse halfway around.

"You were lucky, Knight," he began, raising his arm and aiming the weapon precisely on Charlie's form. "In your clumsy attempt, you managed to take down Train."

He cocked the gun, his eyes glowing with blood lust.

"I was ordered to bring Alice in alive; however, no such orders were given on your accord. You can just die."

Alice began running towards March, panic compelling her forward, but she knew she wouldn't make it in time.

"Charlie!" she cried out desperately, praying that Charlie would attempt to do something before it was too late. But March's finger was on the trigger, and it was pulling back slowly.

**BANG**

The moment the shot rang out, Alice froze, her ears ringing and her body trembling. Her eyes quickly found Charlie as she held her breath and waited, but within a few seconds she realized that Charlie remained thankfully unscathed. His horse on the other hand was bucking and kicking, startled by the loud blast, and now attempting to knock Charlie off of his back. Alice stood dumbstruck as time finally began moving forward once more, the sound of galloping hooves filling her ears.

It took her a second to realize that March had been disarmed, his weapon lying some feet away from him. Glancing to her left, she noticed a man on horseback drawing closer, gun raised in his hand. He looked familiar: his black hair, dark eyes, and pointed beard standing out, but Alice couldn't place him for some reason.

He approached and when Charlie looked up, he gave the man a half-hearted scowl.

"Oi! William, I told you I would handle this riff, while you scoped the skies for incoming attacks! Now we are completely defenseless against the birds!"

The man jumped down from his horse and pointed his gun at March, keeping his eyes on the rabbit as he responded to Charlie.

"I meant no disrespect, sir. I was only worried about your possibly impending death."

Charlie finally managed to calm his house and turn him around, a frown on his face.

"Eh, what impending death? I had the situation under control the entire time."

"No doubt sir; just thought I'd offer a helping hand."

March remained uncharacteristically silent during this time, eyeing the gun with only faint interest. Although he didn't appear to be intimidated, the hare did not move even an inch. "William" took point and eyed the assassin in front of him.

"March, turn around and walk away, and I will not shoot."

The hare smiled but remained still for quite some time. Eventually though he started to turn, his body moving slowly and swiftly. Within a second, March retaliated using his insurmountable speed. Before William could do anything, March had taken a step back and trapped the boy's arm in between his own and his body, his fingers immediately gripping the hand which held the gun and twisting it to the side. William cried out as his grip slackened, the gun dropping to the ground.

"That's the problem with you _noble _types. Merciful till the end. That stupidity will get you killed. Haven't you learned that by now, number ten?"

March raised his arm and elbowed William in the face, forcing him to stumble backwards.

It finally clicked. Alice knew this man—he had been one of the Queen's loyal servants—the ten of spades. He had helped March in his search for both her and Hatter. Could he be trusted? Why was he hanging around with Charlie and where exactly did his loyalties lie? Alice felt reluctant to trust him, but at the moment she would use all the help she could get. There would be time to question him later. Right now they had one similar objective—take down March.

Alice ran forward once more as Charlie began yelling.

"The trap! The trap has sprung! All men to your stations!"

He attempted to pull his sword out of his sheath again as his horse stood motionless, ignoring its owner's cry. Alice watched as March's gaze switch from William to the discarded weapon on the ground. As the ex-spade tried blinking past tears, March ran forward towards the gun.

"Oh no you don't!" Alice cried out, advancing on him and kicking the gun away from both of them before he could successfully snatch it up. It tittered over the edge, threatening to topple over the cliff. March raised his head and glowered at the petite woman standing in front of him. Instinct took over, and Alice went into offensive mode. In the corner of her eye, she could see Charlie tumbling off his horse and rolling around on the ground, yelling out random obscenities as he tried to get up.

Alice bent her knees and raised her fists, her eyes opened and her senses on high alert. She punched March in the head, before grabbing his arm and stepping forward, using her frontwards momentum to flip March onto his back. William, finally able to see once again, ran forward and kicked March in the side before helping Alice pick him up. March recovered quickly. His eyes were burning with anger—his breathing heavy and audible against the ceramic mask.

Using Alice and William as extra strength, he ripped his arms forward and back, swinging the two in opposite directions and throwing them off balance. March moved faster than light it seemed. He whacked Alice against the side of the neck and suddenly she was having a hard time breathing, a throbbing thick in her throat. As she was distracted, March focused on William. He moved forward and threw a few punches at the man, eventually hitting him in the stomach, causing him to double over. As he fell down, March used his knee and kicked up, connecting his bone with Will's nose. Alice, still wheezing for air winced as she heard bone crack. William screamed out in pain, blood oozing from his nose. March didn't hesitate. He grabbed the man by the shoulders and threw him forward. William flew and Alice watched helplessly as he slipped and fell over the edge of the cliff.

"No!" Alice croaked, running forward without thinking. Charlie was equally mad, finally managing to successfully rip his sword from its holder and gallivanting towards March. As Alice stepped closer to the edge, she peered down and felt a wave of relief when she saw William hanging on to the edge a few feet down. Alice got onto her knees and reached out her hand.

"Hang on," she placed her left palm flat on the ground, her nails digging into the dirt for support as she stretched to lower her other arm down into the seemingly endless pit. William glanced down before digging his toes into the rock and clawing at the earth in front of him to prevent himself from falling. He glanced up at Alice and hesitantly reached up. Alice bit down on her bottom lip as their fingers got closer and closer, but when she heard the sound of metal clash against wood, she began to panic. Before she knew it, someone had their hand gripping the back of her neck and pushing her forward. Screaming, she felt her upper body topple over the edge, her skin scrapping against rock and dirt. She found her torso hanging off the edge, a pair of hands gripping her legs preventing her from sliding all the way off.

This was bad, this was _bad_! She wasn't looking at William anymore whose eyes was wide and focused on her. All she could see at the moment was the dark endless pit below her. All she could hear was her own scared gasping and the pounding in her temple from the blood rushing to her head. Her black hair hung past her shoulders, falling from the gravity as her fingers clawed into the rock near her belly. March smirked and laughed softly.

"Have you forgotten, Alice? Your childish fear?"

"Charlie!" she cried out desperately to her only possible savior, fresh tears falling from her eyes.

Will focused on Alice, holding his breath as he tried to come up with a plan. He attempted to communicate with Alice through eye-contact but she was too frightened. When their eyes connected, it was if she were pleading for him to do something. Just how scared of heights was she? William took another step higher, climbing as best he could. March stood up, dragging Alice back a bit more as he turned around.

"Waiting for your White Knight to save you, are you Alice? Childish indeed…" But as he turned to look towards the direction he had thrown the feeble man, he was surprised to find it abandoned. Suddenly from his right he heard someone shouting out a battle cry. Using March's own distraction against him, William climbed the cliff he was hanging off of, as quickly but equally as carefully as possible, so that he was leveled with Alice's head. Reaching up, he recognized Charlie's cry and had a small idea what the knight was planning.

Charlie bolted forward, crying with intensity as he closed in on the assassin. March turned and pulled at Alice's feet, dragging her up so she wouldn't fall, before preparing to block the knight's attack. As the two were about to collide, he felt a tugging at the back of his pants. His eyes widened as a curse flew from his lips. His head tilted back, and in the corner of his eye, he could see William pulling at his legs, intent on dragging the hare down to hell with him. Being flanked on both sides, March was pulled back until he tumbled over the edge.

William felt himself slipping, but right before he was about to fall, Charlie grabbed his hand and helped to pull him up. As soon as he found his footing, he leaned over the edge, hoping to see the crazy machine flatten on the hard ground below. Dreadfully, he noticed that March had landed on a stone ledge that looked like it used to be a balcony quite a few feet down. But no human could survive that fall, he was sure of it.

March lay still for a few minutes before his one hand lifted and was brought down next to his head. William felt his own eyes widen in shock as the rabbit slowly began to stand up. He wobbled as he found his footing, and Will could hear the distinct cracking and see the violent twitching of his neck snapping back into place. Number ten should have known better—he was after all really only a machine.

March turned and glanced up, anger burning in his eyes as he dusted his suit off. William noticed that the ceramic plate stationed on his head had shattered a bit more, revealing his cheek and some nose to the world. Shaking his head, his limbs started to move in a panic as he watched March begin to climb up the side of the ruined city, moving at an alarming rate. Turning, he looked towards Charlie, who seemed to be gasping for air and hurrying to Alice's side. Will followed suit and approached the female, grabbing onto one of her arms to help her stand.

"Are you all right, Alice of Legend?" Charlie asked, cupping her face in his hands and checking for any external injuries. Alice had managed to slow her breathing, but William could make out the wet tears on her cheeks. And he could see her hands trembling.

"I'm okay Charlie," she responded reassuringly.

Charlie smiled a toothless grin, and immediately pulled her into him, her body crashing painfully against the hard metal the knight wore. Alice winced softly in pain, her eyes widening from the sudden contact.

"Oh Alice, how I've missed you! It has been too long and a bore without you around. The kings will be much pleased to see that you have returned."

William tilted his head over the edge and saw March getting closer.

"We need to go…_now," _he stressed, ushering for the two to move along. Charlie released Alice and teetered over to his horse, mumbling softly to himself as William guided Alice over to his own horse, holding out a hand to accompany her up. But Alice shook her head, turning around to address Charlie who was getting on his horse once more.

"Charlie, I have to find Hatter. I think March has him somewhere. He- He said something about a 'White Queen'."

She glanced behind her to see the former ten of spades eyeing Charlie with a mysterious glint to his eyes. But when he returned his gaze to her, it was gone replaced with a forced blank expression. Charlie turned his horse and nodded in Alice's direction.

"Yes, yes we know about the vassal's apprehension. We need to regroup though—and then we shall attack!" He began to kick his horse in the side, urging her to move forward. Alice however was not convinced.

"But Charlie--!"

"Alice, please if we don't leave now, March will stop us. We know where Hatter is being held and we plan on helping you with his release, but we need to first escape the madman."

Alice stared into the stranger's eyes, sighing but nodding in agreement before she grabbed his hand and got onto the horse. He quickly followed, climbing onto the horse's back and stationing himself in front of her. He grabbed the reigns and told Alice to hold on, before kicking the horse in the side and racing off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_The sun felt almost tangible against her light skin. The rays warmed her body, the heat like a physical breath against her flesh. Her eyes remained shut as she listened to the soft bird calls, the fluttering of their wings matching the rhythm of their whistles. The wind blew softly, rustling the grass she found herself laying in and blowing her hair across her face. She laughed softly as the hair tickled her nose. Opening her eyes, she was greeted with endless puffy clouds and a blue sky that surrounded her from all sides. She lifted her hand and closed her fingers to form a fist as if trying to catch the white vapor in her grasp but only failing to do so. Pouting she sat up and brushed her hair back with her hand, glancing around the abandoned hill she was laying atop. _

_Her eyes scanned the horizon, watching as the sun hovered more towards the west, the day beginning to descend in the beautiful sky. Chewing the side of her cheek, the young girl—no older than eight—glanced towards the Eastern Woods, ideas bubbling in her mind. Her mother's birthday was coming, and she wanted to get her something special. She could recall that her mother loved white lilies and she knew precisely where she could find some. They tended to grow in the center of the Eastern Woods, besides a small stream that ran through-out the forest. If she hurried, she would make it back before the sun went down and before anyone could tell she had gone. Her mother was busy with the arrangements, not likely to check in on her—after all, everyone expected that she knew better than to go off alone. _

_But there lie the problem—she was always alone._

_Being a descendant of royalty and a future queen, the girl was never allowed to play with the other children in the fields or on the farms. Her mother completely disagreed with the rulings, but the elders felt it necessary. They were still set on royal discrimination. It would be…improper for the future queen to go gallivanting off with the village youth, playing games such as 'Catch the Cat' or 'Hidden Jewel'—even if having a companion to play with sounded like the greatest present in the world to a young child like herself. _

_But good Goshes! Look at who was being the selfish little girl now! Surely if her mother knew of her conceited thoughts, she would be punished. How could she think about herself at a time like this, and the things that she wanted? Her mother still needed a present from her, and this year she would get it herself! No more depending on the servants to go out and fetch the object she wanted (because she wasn't allowed to walk around the town without her mother or unless she had a royal escort.) No, she would get the flowers and proudly show her mother how responsible and mature she had become. _

_Determined, she stood up from the ground and brushed her pale pink-red dress free from grass, dirt, and weeds. She skipped down the hill, a big smile on her face as she made her way into the dark woods, humming a soft tune as she remained on the path. Immediately she could feel the difference. The woods were a bit chillier and quite darker than the hillside, but like she concluded she would be out of there before it got too dark. _

_Just follow the path until you reach that broken bridge, turn right where the road forks until a big willow tree comes into view. _

_She repeated the directions to herself over and over again. Her mother had taken her into the woods once before and showed her where to find the stream. How happy she would be when she learned that her little 'lightning-bug' managed to successfully venture to their favorite spot all by herself! Her stomach flipped with anticipation as she thought about the reaction on her mom's face when she saw the white lilies. Picking up her pace, she skipped vigorously down the dirt path. _

_A half an hour later, she reached the old willow tree. The sky had darkened a little bit; the trip had taken a bit longer than she had anticipated, but that just meant she would have to pick her flowers quickly and then race back home. She eyed the dirt path, hesitating for a brief second before stepping away from its safety. As the path disappeared further and further behind her, the sound of a stream filled her ears instead. Biting her lip, she smiled when she saw the water, the edge of the stream lined with beautiful flowers that swayed softly to the current of the stream. Kneeling down, she slowly began to pick some of the better looking flowers, the same soft tune whispered from her lips as she picked. _

_Once she found all the ones she wanted, she stood back up and started to head back to the trail, holding the flowers like a bouquet, her thoughts centering in on something that would be happening in only a few months. As she returned to the path, she shook her shoulders to try and relieve some of the tension, taking a deep breath as she begun to imagine what she would do that day. She was after all the flower girl! How should she walk? It had to be slow and graceful. _

_She took a few steps forward, watching her feet as she slowly progressed._

_Tsk, chin up! Don't look at your feet!_

_Shaking her head, she listened to her subconscious, tilting her head up and smiling as she took a step, than hesitated for a second, before taking another step and repeating the process. _

_It was only when the forest began getting very dark did she realize that she had gotten distracted and that her mother was probably wondering where she had run off to. She didn't want to get scolded! How could she get so distracted?! Huffing, she began running while clutching the flowers tightly in her hands. _

_But with every passing second, the light dwindling between the many leaves began to die and was replaced by a never-ending darkness. Within fifteen minutes, the forest was dark—sounds of the night creatures singing to her. She started to get nervous as she started running faster, desperate to get out of this cold emptiness and back home where she belonged. _

_The flowers in her hands seemed to glow in the darkness, the white ominous against the black. She clutched them closer to her body, squeezing tightly as if her mother's strength existed within the roots. But it did nothing to stifle her fear and when she glanced down, her mind switch from fear to panic. _

_Below her feet was nothing but leaves—dark, brown and red crispy dying leaves. _

_How-How could this happen?! _

_She was sure she'd been on the path the entire time! Where was the dirt road? When had it disappeared? Her eyes searched the ground frantically, looking for her salvation but finding nothing but more dead leaves. Running forward, she went off into the opposite direction, tying to find that path but failing. Wet, childish tears fell from her eyes as she placed her back against a tree and slid down it pathetically, her eyes darting back and forth. She raised her knees to her chest and hugged them, burying her face and squeezing her eyes shut. _

_I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. _

_But when she opened her eyes, she was greeted with that same darkness. _

_She wanted her mom, hell she'd even settle for one of those boring, old servants. She just wanted to get out of this dark maze. _

…

_She didn't know how much time went by, but when she finally lifted her head once more, a soft glow illuminated different patches of the forest. Glancing up, she could make out the moon hanging in the sky. But the light which should comfort her only made her uncomfortable._

_It was in the shape of a large crescent, the rounded edge on the bottom while the tips pointed up to the sky. Why did she find it so…eerie? _

_Her mind was playing tricks on her. There was no way to explain it. _

_She could see small lines forming along the pure white crescent, and all she could think of were big, white, pearly teeth. As if someone was smiling a huge grin down at her form. _

_A Cheshire smile. _

_Her body began trembling softly, the cool air blowing over her and chilling her bones. Her eyes stayed locked on the grin in the sky, her head tilting ever so slightly. One…no two. Two small oval shapes, a pale yellow color forming above the smile…almost like…_

…_eyes. _

_She gasped when she heard a twig breaking, her eyes darting away from the sky and towards the shadows in front of her. When she glanced back up at the sky, it was normal once more—the moon a simple crescent and nothing more. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she stood up looking around, the flowers still clutched in front of her. _

_Her heart pounded like a monster in her chest as she heard another crunch. _

"_H-Hello…?" _

_She bit down on her lip, crying once more as fear enveloped her. Taking another small step forward, she held her breath as she glanced behind a tree, sighing softly in relief when she found nothing. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she relaxed her body softly, deciding to try and find the path once more. But when she heard another step right behind her, her entire body froze. Slowly she turned her head, her breath caught in her chest, her eyes wide and scared. A shadow loomed over her, arms raised high in the air and mouth open, snarling. _

"_RAWR!"_

_The girl screamed and fell down backwards, dropping the flowers and curling up into a pitiful ball on the ground, crying and preparing for a certain death. _

_She was clearly caught off guard when she heard laughing in front of her. _

_She peeked one eye opened and watched as the person in front of her switch on a flashlight, revealing the face of a young man no older than 15. He continued to laugh at her, ignoring her whimpers and cries of horror. Eventually he settled down and raised one eye at the future queen, shaking his head as if disappointed. _

"_Oh come on, princess. That right there was hilarious!" _

_She slowly stood up, her eyes focusing on the ruined flowers on the ground as she hiccuped and placed her fist to her eyes trying to stop the tears from falling. She turned to look at the teenager, his blonde hair and brown eyes sticking out in her mind. Stomping on the ground in anger, she clenched her fists as she stared at him._

"_James, w-why would you d-do that?" she gasped out, her voice weak with fear, her body still shaking from it. _

_James rolled his eyes and growled out in frustration. _

"_You aren't even going to thank me for saving your sorry butt? I could leave you out here to rot like the leaves and dead animals if you prefer _your highness_." _

_She ignored him, trying to pick up some of the flowers but crying again when the petals fell from the stem like fresh snow. All that trouble, to waste._

"_Really, can you stop crying? It's giving me a major headache."_

"_Knock it off, March." _

_Her eyes widened when she saw_ him _run up next to James, his brown hair hanging softly in his face, his green hazel eyes glowing with light despite the darkness. He looked at her, a small smile on his lips as he stepped closer, kneeling down on one knee when he got close enough. He looked at her face, taking her chin in his hand and moving it back and forth as if looking for injuries. Finally, he looked into her eyes, his fingers lightly on her arm._

"_You okay, Lucé?" _

_She nodded her head feeling dejected and looking down at the ground, still dwelling on her ruined present. The teenager, who was a year younger than James wiped her face so it was free from tears. When he was finished, she glanced up and looked passed him to glare at James, who was staring into the dark horizon, looking bored. _

"_He- He scared me."_

_When she spoke, James looked back at her, a sour look on his face. _

"_Jeez, lighten up…_your holiness_." _

"_Stop calling me names!" She cried out, stomping her foot on the ground again. The man holding her, turned to stare at James. _

"_Really March? Do you enjoy upsetting little girls?"_

"_I'm not little! I'll be nine soon!" she insisted. _

"_Still little enough to get lost," James muttered, under his breath. When he saw the glare on his friends face, he sighed and raised his arms up in defeat. _

"_You two are sticks in the cold, muddy ground! Damn Hat, you're just as bad as her!" _

_Ignoring James, David turned to look at Lucé once more, his eyes looking at the pile of flowers on the ground before returning to look into her eyes once more. _

"_What were you doing out here all by yourself, Lucé? You know you shouldn't be out here without someone." _

"_David, I wanted to get something for my mom, because her birthday is coming up. But no one was around to go with me. And I knew the path, I do. It's just—it got so dark so quick. But—," _

_She looked down at the mess on the ground, tears falling from her eyes once more. _

"_But it didn't matter because it's all ruined. I wanted mom to know how brave I was, and how much I was willing to do for her, but I dropped them and now I have nothing…" _

_She trailed off, sniffling and red-eyed. James groaned softly, running a hand through his blond hair. _

"_Can we go now? It is cold."_

_David sighed and turned to look at him, "Go ahead and tell them we found her. I'll bring her home." _

_James nodded, twirling the flashlight in his fingers as he turned his back to the couple. _

"_Sure thing. Whatever you say," he muttered, stepping further into the depth of the forest._

_Lucé was amazed. How was he able to know where to go? Weren't they afraid of getting lost like she did? It was so dark out; the night appeared to almost be tangible, even with a little flashlight. But before either she or David could say something, he had disappeared, seemingly morphing into shadows. Lucé tore her eyes away from the distance and focused on David. A harsh wind rustled the trees and swept across them like the breath of a God. It immediately caused Lucé to shiver, her arms bare in the short sleeved dress she wore. David noticed her trembling and quickly stood back up, shrugging his jacket off and draping it over the young girl's shoulders. Lucé smiled gratefully for the extra warmth and watched as David knelt down onto the ground once more, his back facing her. Her brows knitted together in confusion._

"_Well come on, you want to go home don't you?" _

_Lucé grinned and walked forward, looping her arms around his neck and hopping up, her legs hitched at his sides. He slipped his arms underneath her legs and stood up, the extra weight barely registering to him. Lucé couldn't figure out how both James and David could figure out which direction was the right direction, but she trusted him to save her from this suffocating darkness. If there was someone she could count on, she learned that it was David. _

_She loosened her grip around his neck and lowered her head to rest her cheek against his shoulder, taking in a deep breath and smiling. They traveled through the forest in a comfortable silence, Lucé's soft breathing filling David's ears. Eventually he spoke, feeling that she needed some sort of scolding for running off._

"_Lucé, don't go running off by yourself anymore alright?" He sounded generally concerned, his voice soft but stern. _

_The girl raised her head and pouted her lips at her rescuer. Eventually the pout turned into a scowl and she turned her head away from him to stare stubbornly into the dark. _

"_You're just like them," she muttered disappointedly. David narrowed his eyes and glanced over his shoulder to stare at her out of the corner of his eye. He sighed softly and looked forward once more. He was about to speak, but Lucé beat him to it. _

"_What am I suppose to do, David? There's no-" she trailed off, biting her lip and slouching slightly as if she revealed too much. David didn't miss it though and now he was curious. _

"_Go on," he urged, hoping she would continue. _

_Lucé let out a small sigh before continuing, "Everyone always says how lucky I am. How they wished with everything they had to switch places with me just for a day. Because of the money, and the power, and the glory…but none of them really know what it's like, because if they knew, they'd never want it." _

_David noticed her depressed tone, and couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. Someone so young sounding so sad—there was just something terribly wrong with it. _

"_I never have anyone to play with," she whined, her hands on his shoulders as they walked. "I'm always alone. I'm never allowed to play with the other kids. Even if I were, they'd never treat me like just a normal person! Mom's always busy and the elders absolutely forbid me from venturing from the castle. I just— it's not fair!"_

_David smiled softly, understanding why she was so upset. He shrugged softly before turning his head to look at her, "Well good thing I'm here now, huh?" _

_Lucé smiled a shy grin and leaned down again, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a small hug, "I do enjoy when you visit. I can't wait until you move in permanently. I just don't know why you always bring James with you." _

_David laughed softly, shaking his head, "I don't necessarily bring him; he just sort of tags along." _

"_The elders do not like him—they find him rude and brash… and he has absolutely no manners at all." _

"_Yeah well, that's March for you," he nodded laughing softly. _

_Lucé sighed softly and rested her head on his shoulder again. Silence washed over them once more, the sounds of night owls and crickets filling the stillness. Lucé contemplated bringing something up, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. But the words seemed to flow like air from her mouth. _

"_I'm happy my mom is marrying your dad." _

_She could feel David's surprise, his arms tensing slightly._

_Lucia had told both his father and him about the delicacy of the subject. How Lucé may never come to accept either of them into her family. How it would be unwise to try and talk about it with the growing girl. David remained quiet, not commenting or ushering her to continue. She was silent again for a few minutes, but eventually she spoke. _

"_I wasn't at first." She bowed her head and placed her forehead against his back, as if she were trying to hide from her confession. When she spoke again, her voice sounded slightly more muffled, "At first, I hated you and your dad. I didn't want a new family; I didn't want a new dad. I wanted my old one back. But, I've come to like him and you." _

_David smiled as he stepped carefully over a rather large log, finally choosing to speak, "Lucé, we aren't trying to replace your old family, and my dad certainly doesn't want to replace your real father. No one will ever be able to do that."_

_Lucé peeked her head up before returning her cheek to rest on his shoulder once more. _

"_I'm happy that the house won't be so empty anymore," she muttered, her eyes dropping ever so slightly. David nodded as the edge of the forest appeared in his line of sight. _

"_Then you won't be alone anymore. I'll be around. How about tomorrow, we both go get some of those flowers you wanted to get your mom."_

_Lucé looked up; smiling warmly at the guy she would soon call her step-brother. _

"_Really?! You'd do that for me?" _

_David nodded and laughed softly as she nuzzled her head against him once more, her eyes looking tiredly up into the night sky, a grand smile on her lips. As David made his promise, she finally fully relaxed against him, her eyes glued to the millions of starts scattered across the sky. _

_Her eyes swept across the zeniths until they finally settled on the moon. She felt herself drifting closer and closer to her dreams, but she did fell a certain surprise as her eyes closed. _

_It was a full moon tonight. _

_Why did that strike her as strange? It didn't matter now—all that matter was that David Hatter was the salvation she had been searching for. That she was about to have the family she always dreamt of but was always to afraid to accept. _

_That she wouldn't be alone anymore…_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cold. It was very, very cold. His back was stiff and his head ached with a dull throbbing. He attempted to open his eyes, but found that he couldn't even do that. His mind swam in and out of focus; however he couldn't connect two thoughts together.

What was going on? Where was he? What happened?

He lay still for several more minutes, gathering the strength he needed to open his eyes and trying to make sense of his incoherent thoughts. Just flashes—that was all he could recall. Flashes and faces. Eventually he managed to force open his eye-lids and what he found he had not expected.

He was lying in some sort of case made of some kind of metal. Behind his back, he felt a hard yet smooth surface and he could only assume that it was the same material as the walls and case that surrounded him. It hit him then—just how tightly constrained he was in this box, this _coffin_. He couldn't even spread his arms without hitting the freezing metal. Carefully he raised his hands and placed them on the top of the case, pushing on it gently in hopes that it would pop open. When nothing happened, he pushed harder. Still nothing. He began to panic.

Just then, his memory decided to come flooding back.

_I met her. The oyster you fell for. Pretty little thing, she is._

_I don't need __you __anymore. I have an entire city at my heels._

_I think it's time we returned to Wonderland._

Shit, what happened during the time he was unconscious? If March hurt Alice, if she was dead, Hatter would massacre them all. And this wasn't the anger draught creeping through. That had run its course and was but a bitter taste on the back of his tongue. Hatter needed to figure out what the hell happened.

First things first: get out of this cramped sarcophagus.

He placed his palms flat on the surface once again and began pushing with all his strength. But it never even budged. What the hell was this thing?! He pulled back his fist as best as he could and punched forward, only disappointed to find that his "sledgehammer" did nothing to affect the metal. He resorted to basic kicking and pushing, hoping that something would happen, something would loosen. He kept up his struggling for a good five minutes before he fell back and closed his eyes, wheezing softly and covered in a cold sweat.

_Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Think this through, Hatter._

Claustrophobia was a strange feeling. Never in his life had Hatter ever felt claustrophobic. But right now, it was getting harder and harder to breathe and the thought of being trapped in something so condensed freaked him out. It was the reason why he had to stay calm and collected. He couldn't lose his wits or he'd only make a fool out of himself.

Opening his eyes once more, he stared up into his own reflection, the metal so smooth and gleam that it resembled a mirror. Tilting his head to the side, he noticed a small gash on his left temple, the blood caked over by now but the cut still open. There were large black circles under his eyes and he was angry to see that his hat had been taken off of his head and was currently MIA. His hair was disheveled (as always) but the ends stuck to his skin, slicked in that same cold sweat that covered his body. But other than that, he appeared to be all together and in one piece.

Turning his head to the left, he examined the small wall next to him, running his left hand up the side to see if he could find any type of switch or small opening. He was unsuccessful on both sides and kicked the casing with his foot to let out his frustration. In the corner of his eye, he thought he saw some sort of movement and he quickly turned his attention back to his reflection.

_What the hell…?_

Was it…smiling at him?

Was _he_ smiling?

No, he definitely wasn't.

His blood turned to ice as his own reflection began to take control of itself, moving on its own as Hatter sat back and simple stared in horror.

His doppelganger raised a hand and waved, winking at him for a brief moment before leaning forward and widening his eyes in an obtrusive manner.

"When you stare into a mirror, are you ever afraid that maybe it isn't you who is staring but he?"

The voice sounded eerie to Hatter, the tone echoing off the walls and chilling him to the bone. The voice was almost incoherent, and laced with something deep and portentous.

"The same you only different… Are you ever afraid to realize the truth?"

Hatter parted his lips, startled by the madness, "What truth?"

The shadow smirked and suddenly his hands went flying forward until they rested on the metal surface. Hatter was petrified to see his hands moving just as quickly to the top of the coffin, mimicking his reflections' actions.

"That you never had control to begin with…," it whispered to him, and before Hatter knew what was happening, a sudden pain ripped through his body. He let out a growl of pain as a strange sensation took over him. The little remaining energy he had left felt as though it was being forced from him, as though he had no control over his own actions anymore and couldn't prevent it from happening.

"You are no longer the man, but the reflection."

Hatter ignored the voice and the ravenous laughter coming out of the mirror and focused on tearing his arms away from the top. With every passing second, it felt as though an icy fire was flowing from his veins into the tomb, fueling it while draining him. He had to get out! He had to get back control. He needed to pull his hands away, but they would not bend at all to his wield, and only when he began to fear that he would pass out again did the sensation stop and the top of the case was ripped off by someone outside. Hatter let out a gasp of relief, but realized he was barely left with much energy at all—it wasn't like he had a lot to begin with either.

Still, he was thankful that the coffin had been opened, but when a face came into view, he didn't know which predicament was worse.

The sudden switch of light forced him to shut his own eyes and turn his head, shielding himself from its intensity. He heard shuffling above him, and felt a cold air wash over him before hearing a voice.

"Bring him," the voice demanded, sounding slightly muffled in Hatter's ears. He turned his head and slowly opened his eyes back up, the light singeing his vision but after a few seconds, he managed to keep his eyes open without blinking constantly. Someone stood above him but his vision swam in and out as did his hearing—which was strange. He hadn't experienced this type of numbness just moments before. When he opened his eyes for the first time, and saw his reflection above him, he could hear and see things perfectly.

So why did he feel so horrible now?

Whoever stood above him walked out of his line of sight, but was replaced by two men wearing dark clothing. He watched with a confused expression as they reached into his casket-like box and touched his arms. There was a dull pain in both of his arms, and as they men moved their fingers over his skin, he felt a sharp uncomfortable pain shoot up and down his limbs. They removed what looked like large needle like syringes away from the case before grabbing onto him and physically lifting him out of the cold tomb.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, they gave out and he slumped in the men's arms. They didn't seem to notice or care because they hauled him forward, his feet dragging slowly behind him as they walked. He glanced tiredly to his side and registered what he could of the room he had been in.

It was insanely large and blindingly white. The room was simple and as his senses slowly returned he realized the only thing that disrupted the bright white was the dozens and dozens of silver, metal sarcophagi scattered across the length of the large room. And below the tombs were small sealed packets, filled with different colors and labels. Medical tubes ran from the insides of the tombs and ended up dripping some sort of colored liquids into the packs.

Hatter had no idea what the hell was going on. He didn't know who or what were in those coffins, or what was being drained from these said cases, but he couldn't deny the sickening lurch in his stomach as he senses returned. But before he could dwell on this, he was forced away from the room and down a dark corridor, the sound of heavy footsteps filling his ears. He drifted in and out, his body and mind groggy for some reason.

He was jostled awake when his body was dropped (rather roughly) into a metal chair. He realized that his hands were being bound to the chair by a leather strap. After the men were finished, they walked to the back of the room and stood silently. Hatter tried taking in his surroundings, noticing that a few lights were on; however, it wasn't as obnoxiously bright as the other room. The area he sat in now was a normal size, a table pushed to the side of the room, a few metal chairs positioned near it. The floors were a dark stone, and the walls were covered with a dull pale splash. But other than another small desk or two, there was nothing special about this certain room.

He turned his head forward when he heard metal scraping against stone, the screeching so painful in his ears that he closed his eyes and made a small face. The screeching stopped and as he opened his eyes, he felt a hand lightly slapping him across the face.

"Wake up, Hatter. Come on, I can't interrogate someone who's sleeping."

"Lucé?" He mumbled sloppily, blinking past his exhaustion. The girl nodded and tilted her head, patiently waiting for Hatter to sober up. As his vision cleared, so did his head and he remembered what had happened in Alice's world. He felt a sudden burst of adrenaline flow like a hot fire through his veins, and began tugging on the leather straps in a panic. Lucé watched him silently with a bored expression in her eyes, allowing him a few seconds to become acquainted with his new surroundings. His eyes found hers quickly.

"Where are we?"

"Where do you think?" She drawled out, her voice low and calm, "Home sweet home."

Hatter narrowed his eyes, her voice laced with something he couldn't recognize. She returned her eyes to his and sat back in her chair, positioned maybe a foot away from his own. Hatter tugged on the restraints again, observing the room around him in more detail.

"I'll get straight to the point," Lucé nodded, settling her hands neatly in her lap. "There is something I need—something that was given to your father which rightfully belongs to me."

Hatter narrowed his eyes in confusion and stared at her. What did he or his father for that matter have that Lucé would possible want? He shifted in his seat and raised his brow, waiting for her to continue. But before she could go on, there was a loud knock on the door behind them.

Lucé spoke without turning, her eyes fixed on Hatter, "What is it?"

A man dressed in a black tux opened the door and peeked his head in, bowing softly to the woman in the room. "My Queen, March has returned."

"Queen?" Hatter whispered, glancing at the female with a puzzled look. Lucé however was smiling softly, and raised her hand indicating the man to continue.

"Please, send him in."

The man nodded and bowed before closing the door. The corner of her lips were slightly upturned, amusement shining through her eyes.

Hatter was still fixed on the "Queen" reference. Were they in her hometown? Had she burnt down her castle only to rebuild it? That didn't make any sense. But why did that underling look so familiar? And why was March helping her? Sure, they were in Wonderland, but _where_ in Wonderland?

The large metal door clicked and opened, a loud groan echoing off the halls as March walked in. His expression was not happy, and Hatter found himself slightly unnerved when he saw more of the man's face and again, felt that same feeling of nostalgia. Why did it look so familiar!? It was on the tip of his tongue, the answer was there in his mind—but for some reason he couldn't place it.

But Hatter could tell March was losing his "saner" attitude from the burning fury on his face (or what could be seen of it). He stepped forward, his eye looking at Hatter with disgust. Lucé didn't bother to turn around, but Hatter noticed that same grin on her face.

"You've come back to me empty handed, March."

His head twitched violently.

"Hmm, how disappointing," she prodded, her eyes dropping to the floor.

"She had help," March countered, his hands clenched in tight fists. "A knight and the traitor Ten."

Hatter shook his head, his eyes shifting between the two. A knight? Well, there was only one left in this world. Who was Charlie helping? Slowly, the pieces began fitting together. If they were talking about Charlie, then the "she" must be…

"Alice," he whispered, suddenly tugging harder on the restraints. "Where is she? What have you done?"

Lucé ignored him, heaving out a deep breath and looking up at the ceiling, lost in thought. March ignored him, taking another step forward to look at the blonde. His hands were relaxed now, but Hatter could still see how tense he was.

Lucé clicked her tongue softly, her foot tapping on the cold floor softly as her gaze returned to Hatter.

"Should I track them?"

Hatter didn't recognize this March. The March he had witnessed during the Heart's rule had been a rebellious, ruthless, and lazy assassin—never doing anything unless it benefited himself in some way. But March was completely compliant towards Lucé, offering to do things for her that he would have snapped the previous queen's neck for. Why was he being so obedient?

Lucé quickly responded, waving her hand lazily and shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it, March. There is no need." Her eyes were glowing with delight, "After all, we have something she wants. She'll come to us."

Hatter found himself frozen as her words slithered to his ears. After a second pause, he parted his lips.

"If you hurt her, I swear—," his voice was deadly and nothing but a mere whisper, but his treat was cut short when Lucé spoke again.

"Besides March, I thought you'd want to help me with this part of the game."

March raised his head, looking slightly more interested.

"Go inform the doctor's they'll have a new patient soon. After that, get me those vials we talked about. Then we can get started."

Her tone sent chills up his spine and without consciously realizing it, he found himself tugging at his restraints, fearful of what was about to come.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**AN: So, it turns out this chapter was a lot longer than I had anticipated, which means I had to split the Chapter into two parts. Now that I'm back in school and working, updates are going to be irregular. I could get a post out in two days or two weeks, depends on how much I'm able to write in one sitting. However, reviews really give me inspiration. Unpinning pt. 2 I already know is going to be one of my favorite chapters. As for the "sarcophagus" and the image Hatter saw, including the whole "white room." It'll be explained in later chapters. **

**And yes, the whole Cheshire part was based off personal experience. Whenever I see a crescent moon in the sky, I can see the Cat smiling down at me, the rest of his body invisible. I hope that whenever any of you look into the sky now, you see it too.**


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